Ghost Pilots of Saunders
by Captain Smollett
Summary: What happens when male pilots and their planes take to the skies above the holy fields of Shensha-Do?
1. Chapter 1

Hello, this will be my first story I've ever done so I hope you'll enjoy it, I'll try to update twice a week with 5,000-word chapters with a goal of finishing off with 100,000 words. Your support will always be greatly appreciated!

I do not own _Girls Und Panzer_

Chapter 1

Saunders University Head Office 0900hrs

The nicely furnished room was mostly unoccupied that morning, mostly! There were two people in the room, one standing while being rather lazily and taking the other's words with only minor attention. The man sitting, a short man with black hair and glasses with a Shenshado Federation patch on his shoulder speaking to the decent sized blond girl. The conversation went rather quickly with the usual customs greeting each other until the man uttered a sentence which completely threw her off her guard.

"What!?" Kay yelled in disbelief.

"You heard what I said, with the recent rules to Senshado allowing aircraft there has been a change allowing men to take part making all schools co-ed." The man simply replied acting like nothing important or life changing had happened.

"Well this creates some major problems, where are we going to get the planes, the pilots, and how are we going to explain this to the rest of the team? They'll freak out and we only have 2 weeks before the season starts!" She was trying not to hyperventilate as she was simply and utterly scared worried.

"The 4 boys being transferred to your school already are experienced pilots, however they do not have planes yet have requested that they be equipped with a plane called the P-80 Shooting Star, while I have not heard of it, I was told it met federation rules and they were ordered last week. The planes should be arriving by tomorrow morning with the students flying in tonight."

"Really, well you could have just started off with that instead of getting me all worried. So, who are these pilots we'll be using?"

The official simply passed over 4 folders all with names marked on them, she simply took them and read them aloud.

Name: Michael Soland

Age:16

Rank: Major

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 170 lbs.

Blood Type: O neg

Call-Sign: Ghost Actual

Specialty: Leader, Dogfighting

Flight Hours: 100h P-40, 300h P-51D, 400h+ F4U, 200h+ simulator F-16, trained in carrier takeoff

She could instantly tell that this pilot was skilled from his hours in a plane. Three of the planes were eligible for the sport while the other was in a popular modern fighter. From his picture he seemed to be pretty good looking, brown hair, brown eyes and a nice build. But she couldn't waste her time ogling over this one person she needed to check the others.

Name: Joe Smith

Age:15

Rank: 1st Lieutenant

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 130 lbs.

Blood Type: A pos

Call Sign: Ghost 1

Specialty: Night Fighting

Flight Hours: 100h P-40, 400h F6F-5N, 200h+ simulator F-16, Trained in Carrier takeoff

Another skilled pilot yet he wondered how useful he'd be considering the matches would take place during the day, or so she thought. He seemed to look nice though he was young, only 15, this might make some problems between him although she realized what would she do when people starting dating, would there be rules? She decided to put these questions off until later, so she could continue reading through the next file.

Name: Douglas Jones

Age:16

Rank: 2nd Lieutenant

Height: 6'

Weight: 155 lbs.

Blood Type: O pos

Call Sign: Ghost 2

Specialty: Ground and Naval Attack

Flight Hours: 100h P-40, 300h SBD, 300h TBF, 400h+ P-47, 100h+ simulator F-16, Trained in carrier takeoff

As soon as Kay saw his specialty she knew Douglas would be a tremendous help, though she wondered if he would be any use in a dogfight in case he was intercepted. She also wondered how the tanks would defend against air planes until she realized that in the rules there was nothing against machine guns on tanks. She then thought about what she would get to keep the planes from attacking them but ultimately decided she would leave that to Naomi. She then opened the last folder in front of her, hoping that it would be someone useful and trained as to aid them in this upcoming season.

Name: Mitchell Thompson

Age:17

Rank: 2nd Flight Lieutenant

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 165 lbs.

Blood Type: AB neg

Call Sign: Ghost 3

Specialty: Recon

Flight Hours: 100h P-40, 400h DH.98, 300h+ P-51D, 200h+ simulator F-16, Trained in carrier takeoff

When seeing his age, she wondered why he wasn't in charge of everyone yet upon realizing that he wasn't the most trained she realized why. He simply joined in later but being a recon pilot would help her team considering their tactics focused on taking out enemy scouts instead of scouting themselves. Though she wondered how she could make effective use of him.

"The boys will land on the main airfield at 1600 so please be there to greet them and lead them to their quarters." Upon saying this he handed her a map of the layout of the carrier and the room they would be staying in, she noticed that it was connected to the girls dorms and only separated by a wall which she knew might cause some problems between both parties.

She was then dismissed by the official, walking out of the room she noticed that Naomi and Alisa sitting outside with a worried look on their face.

"What's wrong?"

"Boys! What are we going to do? Where are they staying? I bet their all perverts!" Alisa was freaking out in a way Kay had never seen before while Naomi just stood there with a perfect poker face chewing gum.

"Naomi, what do you think we should do?" Kay questioned her trying to figure out why her friend couldn't be giving a care in the world about what was happening.

"I think we should treat them like any other Saunders student, by the way, which classes are they attending?"

Upon realizing this she completely forgot to check knowing this new problem would have to be addressed as well. Kay simply replied to Naomi's question with a quick frown and shake of the head portraying her answer to her smart friend.

"So, when do they arrive?" They both asked her in unison surprising Kay.

"Tonight at 1600, we have a few hours to break it to everyone else so let's get going"

As the three girls exited the building with questions being asked every second by every girl they got into their Willys jeep driving off to the main school building. There was already a meeting for the entire school scheduled in 30 minutes, so they decided to make the big announcement there. Upon doing it, there were some very mixed expressions yet the most surprising was one of utter hysteria. Girls were going crazy which gave Kay a nice laugh, besides the other usual topics the meetings usually lasted 3 hours.

When the meeting finished and everyone went back to their perspective places Kay received a text. The text surprised her as she noticed a small dot in the distance growing ever larger, the text simply read _Boys took off early, arriving at 1400_. This completely shocked her as she realized that they were going to have to go to the airfield immediately.

"There here early, get in the jeep now" She jubilantly yelled at the girls who followed orders as soon as they were uttered.

"Stop playing the pronoun game, who's here?' Alisa simply asked.

"The boys, there touching down as we talk" Kay yelled back as she was now driving through the streets like a madman going as fast as possible.

Upon reaching the airfield they could see a C-47 touching down, they sat on the side of the field next to where the plane would be unloading its passengers. She noticed four guys walk off as soon as a ladder was placed at the bottom of the exit. The first one she could tell was Michael from the pictures, the second being Joe, third being Douglas, and last came out Mitchell. She mentally laughed as she noticed that they were wearing the same pair of aviators with identical and authentic WW2 leather jackets. They walked down observing the girls and every move they were making.

They simply stood at the bottom of the plane until Kay moved up introducing herself.

"Hello, my name is Kay and I'll be your commander while your here!" She introduced herself in English which made the boys happy considering their Japanese was far from perfect. When she was talking she seemed very jubilant and happy which surprised them until Michael yelled "Commander on deck" at which the boys stood at attention saluting her in perfect stance.

"At ease boys, this is Alisa, our vice-commander, and here's Naomi, our best shot in the Firefly and welcome to Saunders." She exclaimed with pride clearly showing off to these boys.

"Nice to meet y'all, I'm Major Michael Soland, I'll be the head of your fighter group, the 1st Fighter Wing!" Michael replied in a friendly way of which Kay hadn't been used to seeing around the normally docile Japanese people even though they were at an American themed school. He showed extreme enthusiasm in that last part which made her happier at the fact that he was proud to be there.

"Howdy, names Douglas, it's great to meet, so where shall we be going today." Douglas said in his thick accent which surprised the girls as they weren't used to hearing such a voice around the carrier.

"Afternoon ladies, my names Mitchell and it's a pleasure to meet you." Mitchell said in a fancy voice earning a laugh from Michael and Douglas which caused Mitchell's face to become redder than a tomato which caused Naomi to snicker.

"Name's Joe, great to meet, can't wait to spend some time with y'all." He introduced himself in a way which clearly showed he was hitting on the girls causing Michael to jab him in the arm earning a laugh from the boys.

"Well it's great to meet you boys so follow me and I'll show you to where you'll be staying" Kay said grabbing Michael's hand and turning around which surprised the boy as he didn't expect anything to happen.

"Got your eyes on the prize already commander!" Joe said earning him a glare from Michael causing him to fall back in line without a single word uttered yet Kay seemed like she didn't hear anything despite being only a few feet ahead of them. Yet at the same time He could clearly be seen looking at her figure from behind which earned a little snicker from Joe nevertheless.

"So, Kay are the planes here yet?" Michael questioned as soon as they got into the jeep taking the seat next to Kay who was driving.

"No, they'll arrive tomorrow morning before you wake up, you have 3 days before school starts and 2 weeks before season so be ready to start practicing immediately."

"Major, you never told us what kind of planes you were ordering for us." Joe simply asked which caused Kay to start wondering why he never told anyone and kept it a secret till today.

"Were getting 4 P-80s, WW2 model, though were going to spend most of tomorrow upgrading them to the Korean version, the F-80C, it's not against the rules so we'll take every advantage we can get." This surprised Kay even more seeing as she thought everyone would play within the rules and there would be no potential problems yet here was this pilot next to her. Pushing the rules of the Shenshado, she wondered if he was actually going to be a problem for the team. Yet her fears were slowly drifting away as she heard the last part of his sentence.

"Major, were getting jets, hell yeah!" Joe exclaimed loudly as he could barely contain the happiness within him. The thought of actually getting to fly a jet was overwhelming, the fast speeds, the high altitudes and the insane turns were exhilarating to the pilots.

"We'll need the extra speed over the prop and jet planes we'll be going against, although there will be some problems, we can't out turn anyone although we can go at least 10,000 feet above everyone else which will give us the drop and our planes are a lot quieter. Our wings will be able to handle the high G turns from pulling out of a dive, so we can try to get other planes to snap their wings if they give chase. Be careful though, a problem with the plane was the fact that when it was hit in the body it would usually catch on fire and the engine would die. Keep this in mind while flying and we should be good!" Michael explained the ups and downs with the plane which slightly scared some of the pilots seeing as they would most likely die if any 1 thing went wrong with this early jet fighter.

"Major stupid question, can I equip radar to mine?" Joe asked clearly showing his specialty in night fighting.

"Only if we find out well be going into a battle at night, which I have a feeling will start happening pretty soon." Michael responded causing Joe's face to go instantly even happier at the thought of getting to fly at night in a jet.

"Kay, are your tanks equipped for basic anti-air combat?" Douglas questioned trying to get an understanding of his team's ground forces so he could form a strategy around that major point.

"No, we only have a basic 50 cal. on top of each tank and two 30's inside" She replied with noticeable doubt in her voice which somewhat put off Douglas.

"Well then we need to fix that, I would like a copy of the rule book and someone knowledgeable about tanks to go with me while I try and remedy your problem." As soon as this was said Kay immediately became her usual self. "Alisa will do it" Which shocked the girl who at this point was just trying to stay away from the boys casing everyone to laugh.

"Wh-Wh-Why me?"

"Because you're pretty good with tanks and my second in command seeing as I won't have the time to do this important task." She replied somewhat sternly which caused Alisa to shut up immediately.

Something out of the corner of Kay's eye caught her attention causing her to turn around, what she saw shocked her as Michael was carrying a loaded M1911 in a holster. Her eyes widened as she wondered how she had missed it in the beginning.

"I can teach you how to shoot it if you want." Michael said catching Kay off guard as he clearly showed he realized what she was looking at.

"Please, I would love to, though how did you get it?"

"Standard issue, we all carry one right boys!" Michael explained as every boy took one out of their holster or their pocket in their shirt which scared the girls knowing that these guys could be armed at any moment.

"Isn't that illegal?" Naomi questioned with a nervous look on her face!

"Probably but no one really cares back home unless you're in the city." Mitchell said which surprised the girls seeing as they thought he was supposed to be proper and would be a little worried about breaking the law. As soon as he said this Michael quickly asked if there was a place to eat along the way, preferably American food of course.

"Always, you're basically in a city so you'll get the same amenities here as in Japan except for a more American style of things." Kay explained as the boys all took in what she said before agreeing that they all needed a burger. Kay turned down a street before stopping in front of a small restaurant that clearly said American with a flag on the side causing the boys to laugh a little.

"This is the place, great food, you'll love it!" She simply yet jubilantly stated as she walked inside revealing the place being a bit small with only 5 tables.

"Hello and welcome to Mark's Burgers, best burgers in town!" Stated the water as he brought them inside sitting them at a booth which seemed comfortable. There was a minor problem because of the size of the group so they had to sit off sided with Michael being moved over to sit with Kay. They could hear the faint sound of music being played in the background. The boys instantly recognized it as _In Bloom_ by Nirvana causing all the boys to start quietly singing along. They instantly decided they enjoyed the place as soon as they saw the menu.

"Here you go guys, I'll be back in 4 minutes to get your orders." The waiter stated in a nice and friendly tone although he seemed somewhat nervous which didn't help to put the boys on ease a little.

"Oh my God, look at the size of this Major!" Joe yelled as he saw the size of the burgers causing all the boys to notice the size, _16 ounces_.

"Holy shit that's huge!" Douglas stated in a shocked manor which caused the girls to look at them like they were crazy.

"There not that big, there honestly pretty small if you think about it, only a pound." Kay simply said sounding confused which caused the boys to look at her as if she was crazy.

"Only a pound and for this low price! You're insane, we would love something like this in the states but there always so expensive." Mitchell tried to explain which surprised the girls for they still had a somewhat stereotypical view of the United States as having loads of fat people.

"Either way, I can't wait for these to come!" Michael replied happily as he was still in some shock due to the size of the burger.

"Now what would you guys want today?" The waiter asked in the same tone which again unnerved the boys for they had a minor suspicion yet couldn't tell what it was.

"16-ounce American burger please!" The group all said in unison which earned a chuckle from the waiter, as well as coke for everyone the group was happy that they could finally get some real food. They had been living off bowls of rice and ramen due to the last few days spent flying to the carrier seeing as it was on the other side of the world and they were plagued with delays.

"Michael, I have a stupid question, how safe are the planes you'll be flying?" Kay asked with curiosity as she wouldn't want to lose any of her pilots due to an accident.

"Honestly, we have a decent chance of nothing bad happening however, our planes if hit will light up like a firecracker on New Year's. We also have the fact that if we take damage to the wings and put the plane in a dive we risk the fact that the wing will rip off in a high G turn." Michael explained trying his best to make the tanker understand the dangers of flying.

"Well that seems pretty dangerous! What happens if you are hit, is there an onboard computer that lets you know when you've taken enough damage like our tanks?" Naomi jotted in trying to understand this new element of her sport.

"Nope, our planes have no computer, so you'll know if you've taken too much damage if your plane starts to crash. Most likely if our plane catches on fire we'll try to bail, if we can't get out though, well there's a reason we carry our pistols on us." Michael said which made the girls shutter at the thought of one of their pilots shooting himself or burning up.

"Are you not scared, there are so many things that could go wrong yet you voluntarily go up and risk your life for nothing!" Alisa pitched the question that was in all the girls minds.

"Well we do it for many reasons, first of all it's a massive grade boost, second it's fun as hell, and lastly this secures opportunities for us in the future if we do well know flying like the air force or a test pilot for someone like Boeing." Joe retorted defending his sport and what he knew would be his future and most likely would be everyone else's.

"You guys are crazy!" Alisa replied with a noticeably scared tone in her voice causing the boys to laugh. Which confused the girls even more, why would these boys put everything at risk just for such small things.

"I completely agree…" Before Michael got a chance to continue talking he was cut off by the waiter placing down the burgers.

"Thank you"

"No problem"

"These things look amazing" Joe could barely contain his excitement as he stared over his next meal.

"Well Bon Appetit!" Michael said in a crappy French accent earning a laugh from Douglas before they started eating. They all went through the entire burger within three minutes and drank the entire bottle of coke before paying the check and heading out. Each person with a sense of complete and utter happiness from eating something so good. As they got on the jeep and continued to drive the 2 blocks back to the dorms they wasn't a single word uttered until they stopped. The boys were somewhat confused as the entire way they kept getting looks from the girls walking along the streets. Some of the girls looked at them with hate while others gave them looks of wonder and the occasional one gave a little seductive smile earning a little whistle from one of the boys.

Eventually they stopped in a parking lot where all the boys got off with their stuff in a duffel bag slung over their shoulder.

"Here's where you'll be staying, were right next door so you guys will have your own bathroom. Here's a map with the layout of the carrier and we'll be meeting tomorrow at the tank sheds to pick up your planes." Kay explained handing them a map. The place was truly massive, 5 miles long and a few miles wide based off of the USS George Washington. It was truly going to be an interesting year on this massive ship, they were all somewhat worried though for when school started.

"Thanks, well I'd love stay and talk but it's getting late and were jet lagged as hell, night!" Michael said as it could clearly be told that the boys were out of it today and the sun was starting to go down.

"Night boys, see you tomorrow!" The girls responded with some vigor which surprised the girls.

The boys retired to their quarters and after putting their stuff away as well as finishing basic hygiene simply hit the sack.

That's it for chapter 1

Thanks for reading and have a good day!

Please submit reviews if there is anything I should add or change including mistakes or any specifications about the planes or people I missed. If there are any plane requests, you want in the upcoming chapters just name the plane and school.

Ex. Saunders: Lockheed P-80A


	2. Chapter 2

_Welcome back everyone to chapter 2, it's hopefully going to answer any questions you may have had and what you have unanswered will be fixed next chapter. Sorry this took a while, I had a few tests, so I had to stay up late and study. I'll try and get the next chapter out as quickly as possible while trying to keep it good._

 _Any reviews now pertaining to questions about my writing that won't be answered in the chapter will be put down below._

* * *

Chapter 2

"Wake up ladies, PT in 20 minutes!" Michael yelled as the Reveille alarm went off from his phone instantly making everyone in their dorm shoot up from their bed and stand at attention and salute before running off to get ready. It was clearly still dark outside as could be told by the window, the clock simply read 0530 giving enough proof that no one else on campus would be up.

"Ghost squadron reporting for duty Major!" Joe called out as the wing was all in a line at attention after getting ready wearing their squadrons PT uniform.

"Ghost squadron, move out!" Michael yelled like a drill instructor prompting the boys to rush out of their room and run in line out of the door into the street before taking off to the edge of the carrier to begin that days 10 mile run. The run would take place as they would run from the bottom of the carrier to the top and then to the tank sheds where their planes would be delivered.

"Major, where is everyone, it's not that early anyways?" Joe questioned while only slowing down minorly seeing as they were going at an increased speed as they passed down roads and shops all closed with no one in sight except for the bridge of the carrier being lit up.

"Don't know, but that's not what's important right now. Your goal is to finish this run in under 1 hour so shut it and start running!" Michael commanded trying to keep his squadron in top shape as they needed to be ready for all that would come with flying jets at high speeds.

"Anyone late will be marching 5 miles full cadence, understood!" Michael ordered scaring the pilots as they heard that last part remembering the times where they had to march through the rain singing as loudly as possible in front of other people.

"Sir yes sir!" Everyone responded with the sound resonating through the nearby neighborhood considering it was still quiet.

They managed to get through the first 6 miles before people started coming out of their homes to get ready for work causing the boys to have to redo their decision.

"Well, looks like we ain't gonna get a chance to finish off those last 4 miles major!" Mitchell said sheepishly happily to not have to workout anymore that day.

"Then instead we'll march through the forest for the remaining 4 miles, come on, let's go!" Michael barked causing the boys to all get upset at the fact they now had to march instead of getting to relax.

"But majorrrr, do we have to, can't we just relax?" Douglas complained seeing as the boys were tired enough from still trying to get off the jet lag.

"No, not until you manage to complete my mission for each of you!"

"Well then what would that be?" Joe questioned, eagerly wanting to know what they would have to do to get some extra sleep.

"Come one major, spill it, we all want to know what this mission is!" Mitchell cried out.

"Alright then, your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to get a girlfriend. On top of that, you each owe me 10 planes, doesn't matter whose they are they just need to be shot down." Michael answered which surprised the boys with his little dare yet they gladly accepted it.

"Wait, but there are only 4 planes per match? This is gonna take forever!" Douglas said, annoyed at the fact that it would take a very long time to try to get those kills.

"Well first of all, who said there were only ever 4 planes allowed per team; second, are you guys just going to ignore that first part like it never happened?" Michael said which caused the boys some shock to know they would most likely be outnumbered in these matches. Surprisingly enough, it again seemed like they completely ignored the part about having to get a girlfriend.

"The maximum amount is 10 for a regular match and 20 in the final. You'll each have plenty of chances to get some kills so don't let me down, got it!" This new information of knowing exactly how outnumbered they would be in matches scared the boys even more, they would know have to fight against superior weapons and numbers.

"Sir, flying in general is now gonna become a death sentence and the planes were flying don't exactly have the best reliability record." Douglas uttered causing some nervousness between the boys knowing that the P-80 had a few problems.

"That's why I said we'll be changing everything to the F-80C, there shouldn't be anything wrong considering its just modifications to a legal plane so the reliability will be better. Either way though, most of those pilots were killed because they were so used to flying prop aircraft, we have a bit of time in F-16 simulators so we'll be a little more ready than they were ok, now let's get marching." Michael tried explaining to calm their nerves before telling them to get moving seeing as it had already hit 0630.

"Sir yes sir!" The pilots yelled again before starting their march to the sheds.

Once into the forest the boys noticed some unusual things like the fact that there were trees and rocks completely blown apart in the middle of nowhere. Michael just assumed that it was from the girls missing shots so he continued along his way not paying any more attention to the signs that there had been a recent battle here.

"Fast march let's go!" Michael ordered as the boys started picking up the pace before Michael started singing leading them in cadence.

 _Hey there, we're gonna fly_

 _Fly all day till the day we die_

 _Flying up, and flying down, and flying up, and flying around_

 _Hey there, we're gonna fly_

 _Fly all day till the day is right_

 _Flying up, and flying down, and flying up, and flying around_

 _Hey there, we're gonna run_

 _Run all day till the day is done_

 _Running far, and running there, and running far, and running there_

 _Hey there, we're gonna fly_

 _Fly all day till the day is right_

 _And if we get, a little bit sore_

 _Then we will, run some more_

The boys sang through the entire song by which this point they had made it to the edge of the tank sheds which could be seen a quarter of a mile off. They were huge, bigger than the boys had anticipated, they were starting to realize that the place did seem a bit rich although they thought all carriers were like that. Clearly, they still had a bit of learning to do.

Booooom, the sound of a 17 pounder going off scared the hell out of the boys. An explosion went off 20 feet behind them causing the boys to hit the ground and search for the source of the shell.

"Contact, Sherman Firefly 200 yards Major!" Douglas called out making the boys look over to see a tank with smoke still coming out of the barrel.

"Alright, everyone move up, stay low and get your pistol out, let's get em." Michael ordered trying to take control of the situation. Although it was completely different then being in the air, he could still try to lead his pilots through battle no matter what the situation. He was determined to never lose and would try to keep up this streak with his new school for as long as possible.

"Everyone quiet, no talking whatsoever and move slowly, let's try and get around her, move silent and don't stop unless your about to be seen." Michael barked trying to keep any of his pilots from getting hurt.

Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Mitchell right behind the tank giving him a signal to move forward.

"How did he get up there so quickly?" Douglas asked confused as he managed to get there while everyone was still about 50 yards off.

"Remember what he did before he came to us. In his school's version of this sport when they were shot down it, the match would continue until they were shot with an airsoft gun carried by the infantry. He's clearly gotten good at moving through positions while under fire or watch." Joe explained, helping Douglas to remember that there was more than one league at one point before they were all closed and formed into a single one which they all used to take part in.

After they managed to get up around the back of the tank they slowly climbed on it before aiming their pistols at the hatch until it suddenly popped open, a tall girl with binoculars and short hair brown hair popped out.

"Holy shit there on top of us!" She screamed as she was faced four guys holding M1911s to her face.

"Bang!" Michael joked causing them to laugh at the sight of her faced completely flushed with fear remembering how he said their guns were always loaded.

"Naomi, you look like you've just seen a ghost, oh wait!" Joe joked causing the boys to laugh even more at the reference.

"Well it's 0730 so let's go see those planes!" Michael exclaimed causing the boys to cheer at the thought of getting to see what they would be trusting their lives in.

"Here I'll drive you there, don't fall off." Naomi said, the boys sat down on the turret or body as they were taken the remaining 200 meters to the shed.

"This place just keeps getting bigger and bigger Major!" Douglas exclaimed as he saw the rows of tanks lined up inside the sheds. They were all variants of the M4 Sherman which caused some doubt in his mind as to the fact that they needed better tanks if they wanted to win the finals.

"Why don't you have any M4A4E8s or M18s, you guy seem to have the money for it?" Douglas questioned trying to figure out the answer to the one thing nagging him the entire time.

"We have so many tanks that the cost would be insane to support anything of a higher quality." Naomi answered while not seeming to care very much about the question.

"Then sell some, if you want to win, quality vs quantity would help a bit considering there are caps on the amount of tanks in a match." Douglas retarded annoyed at the fact that most if not all of their arsenal was mostly useless.

"I see your point but I'm in no place to change anything around here, that's all up to Kay."

"Well then, Douglas and I shall have a meeting after this with Kay seeing as his point will only reinforce our chances of winning this year!" Michael asserted in a somewhat angered tone yet no change came from Naomi's face only annoying Michael even more. He was opening his mouth to say something before the tank stopped in front of a hanger with closed doors. There was, however, a considerable amount of noise coming from inside.

"Lets fucking go check this shit out!" Joe exclaimed before jumping off and running in through the hangar doors followed by the rest of the boys. As soon as they made it through they were met with the sight of four P-80s in a line on the sides of the hangar. There were girls all around them saying things like; "Oh cool" or "That looks so fast" causing the boys to laugh but then get defensive when they started to touch it.

"Hands off ladies, this one's mine!" Michael proclaimed before walking up to a P-80 and kissing it on the nose earning a laugh from the boys and a look of disgust from the girls.

"Baby come home with me tonight!" Joe yelled before running up to the plane next to Michael and doing the same thing. This was followed by Mitchell and Douglas running up to the planes on the other side of the hanger and roughly doing the same thing.

"Ok, does anyone have a speaker there not using now?" Michael asked before receiving a reply from a girl in the crowd.

"There are ones hooked up to the hangar, here follow me!" She replied with a sort of bubbly feeling while she ran through a door in the back of the hangar. She was quite good-looking with her white hair swinging back and forth as she ran. He was lead into a decently sized room with computers facing every direction.

"Welcome to the Saunders Hangar Control Room, just hook your phone up to the bluetooth speakers and your music will start playing just like...this!" She exclaimed before managing to get the phone connected and walking back out to the planes with Michael in tow the entire time.

Right before they started modifying the planes Michael turned on some music causing the boys to cheer. _Danger Zone_ by Kenny Loggins started playing which prompted the boys to sing along before being cut off by Michael.

"I want everyone out of this building now, go, go, go!" Michael demanded as the girls looking at the planes quickly left with confused looks on their faces before Michael took of his shirt and began to explain what was happening.

"Alright boys, here's the schematics for the P-80, were going to be turning this into and F-80C, considering their basically the same plane but with upgrades. There's nothing wrong with it so let's get going." He ordered before all the boys ran to their planes and started to add the necessary parts to prepare for combat.

They attached fuel tanks on the side of the wings increasing the range in case a match lasted longer than usual which also, oddly enough, improved performance. Besides some minor changes to the plane like the increase in engine power by installing a few modern pieces of equipment and changing the guns into the M3 12.7mm , there wasn't too much they needed to remodel.

The plane was now capable of 577 mph at 10,000 feet and a maximum speed of 624 mph. With a service ceiling of 45,000 ft and a climb rate of 4580 fpm, the plane could fly higher than anything it would go against, although there were some problems with how long it would take to get to altitude compared to other prop fighters. There was also the truth that their planes wouldn't turn as well or respond to changes in speed that quickly so every move had to be preplanned.

Of course, like most pilots, they wanted to have their own paint jobs on the planes.

There were many options to choose but they'd only have so long before breakfast ended at 1000 and seeing as they had not eaten, they were starting to get hungry.

"Listen up, I'm hungry as hell so let's get some breakfast! You have till the end to come up with a paint job, when were back I expect it all done by 1200." Michael barked causing everyone to get a relieved face knowing they'd finally get to eat.

As soon as he said that Kay walked in through the closed hangar door with Alisa and Naomi in tow.

"You boys wanna get some food?" Kay yelled causing them all to look over in her direction.

"Sure just give us a minute." Douglas replied as all the other boys were putting on their shirts.

"Alright better be quick!" Kay teased.

As quickly as it started the boys had their shirts on and were already outside surprising the girls who were used to, living at a girls school and all; to having to wait a few minutes to wait for somebody to get ready.

"Ready, let's go I'm famished!" Mitchell pleaded causing everyone to laugh before hopping onto the turret of the firefly that was parked outside.

"So Naomi here tells me she gave you guys a little scare this morning!" Kay joked.

"It was interesting, scared the hell out of us at first then we outflanked her. You should have seen her face when she popped out of the turret." Michael retorted still somewhat annoyed that they had been caught off guard.

"Four pistols to her head scared the shit out of her, she looked like a ghost" Joe backed up creating a laugh from Kay and an embarrassed look from Naomi's face.

"Which reminds me, Kay, Michael and I need to have a talk with you about your tanks. There's a few problems I think need to be fixed if we want to have a chance at the finals this year." Douglas explained remembering the conversation had with earlier.

"Sure, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Anything that can help us win would be great, as long as we're not breaking the rules!" Kay agreed while emphasising that last part about not cheating. Although the boys weren't entirely sure what she counted as cheating considering the match against Oorai and the legal radio interception.

"Ok, what are we gonna do today Major?" Mitchell inquired.

"Well after we get some food and finish any last-minute work on the planes, I really don't have anything scheduled for today considering its only 1000." Michael responded trying to think of what the boys were to do later.

"Actually I almost forgot, we need you guys to get your planes ready by 1200 because we're heading off to pick draw our first opponent for this year. There is also supposed to be an airshow before we head in where every school will be showing what planes they'll have." Kay popped up which caused the boys to panic seeing as they now had to eat, paint the planes, and get ready to fly within 2 hours.

"Why are you just now telling us this!" Michael demanded, pissed at the fact that she had waited 2 hours before to tell them about something they should have planned for at least a day in advance.

"I forgot no big deal, just be ready to take off, do a few tricks, then land at the airfield provided. As soon as you land, you have 30 minutes to answer any questions given, then find anyone with a Saunders uniform and you'll be taken to us." Kay explained which annoyed the pilots even more seeing as she couldn't seem to give a single fuck even though the boys would be rushing.

Michael hoped to God her planning wasn't like this as well or they would be screwed when the tournament started. He wasn't even going to try to think what would happen if their initial plan didn't survive first contact, what they would do.

"Were here!" Naomi called out causing Michael to break out of his trance.

"Finally, I could eat a horse right now!" Joe yelled before cheerfully sprinting into the cafeteria looking like a little boy at an amusement park. He was quickly followed by all the other pilots except Michael who stayed back with the girls.

Upon looking at what the school's menu entailed Michael face turned to one of shock.

"Pancakes, waffles, french toast, holy shit! This stuff is amazing, back in the states we'd be lucky if we got a breakfast sandwich. You guys have it good!" Michael exclaimed with wonder surprising the girls.

"That's what you get for being part of the richest school in Sensha-do." Kay said still somewhat surprised at what Michael had said about food at his old school.

After what seemed like hours the pilots all came back with their plates covered in food before sitting down at a table.

"Major, this is like heaven!" Joe said jubilantly.

"For sure, I hope we get to stay here for the rest of highschool!" Douglas joyfully yelled causing Michael to get a happy feeling inside that his pilots were finally getting to enjoy something nice. The time spent at their old school had really taken a toll on them as they were used to constant drilling and practice but things finally seemed to be getting better for them.

"Eat quick boys we need to get moving soon!" Michael ordered with a nod from the other boys as they knew the urgency.

"So, how do you boys like it here?" Kay asked out of nowhere as she was sitting on the other side of the table with the usual entourage that followed her around.

"It's fucking amazing! This makes our old school look like hell although it was kind of always like that." Joe yelled while managing to finish off a mountain of food on his plane before setting it down and laying back on the chair.

"Try not to curse so loud, last thing we need if some girl getting offended." Michael reprimanded knowing that was the last thing they needed.

"Oh by the way. We have a girl here that's really good at painting, do you think she could help you guys finish your work early so we can head out quickly." Alisa surprisingly pitched in earning a nod from the boys before she got up, presumably to find this girl.

"Ok well by the looks of it were all done so were going to go back to the hangar and finish painting, tell Alisa to send the girl over to us." Michael said before getting up and walking over to put his plate away followed by the rest of the pilots.

"Bye!" Kay yelled as she got up with Naomi to go get any final preparations done for the upcoming trip seeing as they would have to get into a small helicopter to head to land.

After a quick 5 minute walk to the hangars, they ran to their planes before rushing to find paint realizing they never asked for it in the first place, causing Michael to visibly facepalm.

Only after again then realizing their was paint of all colors arranged in buckets with a girl sitting on a chair organizing the brushes. Within the same time they also noticed there was classical music playing, yet they decided not to say anything.

"Hello, I'm guessing you're the girl Alisa said could help us." Michael asked her before she finally looked up visibly shocked for no clear reason.

"Is something wrong?" Mitchell questioned before stepping up to her and laying a hand on her shoulder.

"N-n-no, Alisa just never mentioned that you were boys." She said, her face clearly red.

"Well, no need to worry. Now everyone listen up, I'm having you all paint your planes the pattern of the F-80A 44-85467. You can each add your own symbols to the nose of the plane after, understood!" Michael barked while pulling up a printed out picture of the plane to be.

"Sir yes sir!" Everyone resounded.

"Then let's get to it!"

As soon as this was said everyone ran around to their perspective plane while the girl just looked in confusion.

"Do you mind if you help me so we can get this done quickly?" Michael calmly asked receiving a nod from the girl who was still somewhat visibly shocked that they were all boys.

The painting went by surprisingly quickly and it only took them 1 hour before every plane was done. Everything was perfect surprisingly enough giving how quickly they all rushed.

The insignia painted on the noses of the planes were different for each pilot had his own idea of what would be allowed seeing as no rules were set. There was the agreed decision of adding shark teeth to the front of the plane to make it look menacing.

Michael's P-80 had a drawing of a skeleton holding a rope with heads attached to the bottom of it with the words "Headhunter" over the picture. He also included marks of all the planes he had killed over his new career. 10 Japanese flags, 12 Russian flags, 8 German flags, and 1 Jet symbol clearly showing an ME-262 creating a total of 31 kills.

Joe's plane had a painting of a pin-up girl wearing nothing but a bathing suit in a seductive pose with the words "Night Mission". While the girl was somewhat shocked at this, it gave the boys a laugh given the context of the wording. He also had his kill markers displayed showing 4 Japanese flags, 6 Russian, and 12 German for a total of 22 kills.

Douglas's plane had a picture a shark with a Japanese flag in its mouth with the words "Jap Eater" above. Michael was a bit worried that this might cause some controversy but he decided to ignore it. If they had a problem, they could take it up with them in the air. He had markers 15 Japanese flags, 1 German, and 2 Russian as well as 30 symbols of sunken ships and 10 tanks. While he may not have been the best fighter pilot with only 18 kills, he was living hell to anything on the ground or sea.

Mitchell's plane was the most toned down with the painting of an eagle with binoculars looking down with the words "Eagle Eye" above. His kills were not nearly as impressive as the other boys he was likely to be more experienced than any pilots they would go against. There were 3 Japanese flags, 4 German, and 2 Russian, for a total of 9 kills.

He did have one thing that separates him from everyone else though, a number, 800 mph. He was the only of the pilots to have broken the sound barrier flying the secondary of a family friend's F-16 tandem seat fighter.

His experience in going faster than the speed of sound would help him as he could find targets while continuing the to go at fast speeds to try to avoid detection.

"Ok, I want everyone suited up and ready to go!" Michael ordered as he saw Kay and company drive up with the jumpsuits he had asked for including the new helmets with everyone's personal marking on the side.

"Sir yes sir!" They pilots resounded before they turned and noticed Kay coming, presumably with the clothes they were to wear.

"Here you go boys, helmets are right there and jumpsuits are right here. Parachutes, God forbid, are underneath the helmets." Kay pointed.

"Oh, and remember, everyone else will be speaking Japanese with only limited English so please be ready." Kay said earning a nod from the boys who had all been forced to take 2 years of Japanese for no clear reason. They thought of it useless until now where it would help them immensely.

"Ayy Major, they have our personal insignia on them too." Joe joked noticing the scantily clad woman on the back of the jumpsuit with the kills marked around all of them earning a minor look of disgust from the girl who helped them paint.

This was the same for all the boys as they quickly took their clothes off and threw on the new suits completely disregarding the girls around them.

As soon as they had gotten changed Michael noticed the girls' face red as a tomato. He was about to ask what happened when he realized what happened, they were so used to changing with guys that any thought went over their heads.

"Shit, we're so sorry, we didn't mean to do that!" Michael apologized as soon as he realized what they did which was followed up by the other apologies from the pilots.

"Well, everyone has somewhere to be right now, no. So let's get going, come on!" Joe yelled breaking the awkward silence after the apologies causing everyone to get run to their planes.

"Do you think the paint will be dry?" Mitchell asked to which the girl responded with a quick nod.

"Sorry to ask so late but what's your name?" Mitchell questioned before climbing up into his P-80.

"My names Aika, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Alisa's loader." Aika introduced herself giving a little bow.

"Well Aika, you know who I am so it would be great to talk to you but I gotta go, so later maybe." Mitchell asked.

"Sure!" She responded happily.

"Ok bye!" He said before throwing on his HGU-33/P helmet with the MBU-12/P oxygen mask on his lap before turning on the engine. The Allison J33-A-9 roaring to life as he slowly turned the plane towards the exit.

The P-80s, one by one lined up outside the hanger before being attached by the Saunders Airlift division to the steam catapult. While the boys had been trained to fly off carriers, they were confused about why they needed one seeing as the damn thing was 5 miles long yet the airfield was at the front.

While there was an arrester cable for the planes it still didn't make them feel any better why they couldn't have just modeled it after an actual airfield instead of making it like a carrier.

The flight was short, only 20 minutes and they still had an hour before they had to be there but since they were last in the air show they were required to flyby in 25 minutes. With the girls already landed according to the ground crew they would all be ready to go.

Within minutes the planes were all in the air and getting into a fighter wing formation. The sudden rush of being launched off was amazing plus the fact that this was their first ever flight in a jet for the most part. There was no propeller to obscure the view and the quietness of the jet was different causing the boys to feel a sense of relaxation.

"Ok Ghosts, standard formation, usual wingman, over." Michael called out over the radio before he took with the lead with Joe his wingman on his left and Douglas and Mitchell on his right.

"Climb to 10,000 feet and keep up 450 mph direction south-west, over!" He ordered before pitching up and increasing the speed being followed by his squadron. The flight to altitude was quiet and no one made a noise, to an outsider it would seem weird but the boys were mostly astonished at how quiet and comfortable the ride was.

"Kay, come in, Kay, this is Ghost Actual; please put Naomi on the radio, over." He asked breaking the silence while picking up on the frequency he had been given.

"Ghost Actual, this is Naomi, over." She responded.

"Naomi, I want you to take a picture of every single plane flying understood, over."

"Roger, any particular reason you need me to do this, over?" She questioned.

"I need to know what we're up against, ok so please do it and don't let Kay know, over. " He ordered wanting to be ready for the upcoming matches yet not wanting Kay's sense of fair play to get in the way of victory. In his book it was victory or failure, there was no in between and everything can and will be done to ensure it.

"Roger!" Naomi responded before the radio went silent again.

"This is fuckin awesome!" Joe yelled while pulling a barrel roll.

"It's so quiet and nice compared to the props were used to." Douglas said before being cut off by Michael over the radio.

"Alright, since no one will be listening to us let's put on some music and kill the call signs for now, over!" Michael commented before turning on some music over the radio using his phone. _Black Betty_ by Ram Jam started and the boys all started singing along.

 _Black Betty had a child (Bam-ba-Lam)_

 _The damn thing gone wild (Bam-ba-Lam)_

 _She said, "I'm worryin' outta mind" (Bam-ba-Lam)_

 _The damn thing gone blind (Bam-ba-Lam)_

 _I said "Oh, Black Betty" (Bam-ba-Lam)_

 _Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)_

The entire time the boys were keeping perfect formation, a testament to their skills and experience.

"Land sighted, 10 o'clock Major!" Douglas said over the radio.

"Right on time, pitch down 45° level off at 400 feet then pull up and roll right and fly inverted for three seconds. After this pull an Immelmann and barrel roll then fly towards the airfield, standard landing procedure, pull into the hanger marked Saunders, over!" Michael ordered trying to make sure that all the maneuvers were pre-set before anything were to actually happen. There weren't any clouds so they could afford to have fun while being seen.

"Roger!" The radio crackled to life with three people answering to an order.

"Begin dive…now!"

The planes quickly pitched into a dive as the speed dial shot up with the new airspeed. "Squadron record in 3.2.1!" 450, 460, 470, 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570 mph the airspeed indicator shot up until finally stopping setting a new squadron record at 577 mph.

"Pulling up...now!"

The planes leveled off at 400 feet roaring overhead of the crowd at 570 mph causing cheer from the crowd watching.

There had been music playing ever since the airshow was started and every school got to pick a song before their planes took the stage. Saunders had picked _Free Bird_ by Lynyrd Skynyrd and it was starting at 4:05 before the P-80s came in. They started there decent as soon as the guitar solo started prompting the crowd to go even wilder.

The pilots started to roll to the right and flew inverted for 3 seconds all while maintaining a speed over 500 mph zooming by the crowd's heads. The then pulled into an Immelmann heading back in the direction of the airfield. But right as they came over the crowds heads they pulled a barrel roll then shot off towards the airfield.

While most of the other schools had just had their planes fly low to the ground and buzz the crowds heads once no one pulled any maneuvers and they all finished in 20 seconds. Yet here was Saunders rolling in with jets then pulling tricks going at least 100 mph faster than everyone else.

* * *

 **Kay POV**

"Start the music!" She ordered right before it started playing through speakers placed along parts of the show grounds.

"Here they come!" Some girl yelled through the crowd pointing towards the sky.

Sure enough, four black dots appeared high in the air before suddenly shooting down right off the ground and heading towards them at an insane speed.

She had already seen the rest of the schools show off their planes by flying over them a few times but she was thinking that these boys might put on a little show considering their ego.

"Look at how fast there going!" Another girl yelled before pointing to the meter on the field showing the airspeed of the planes. It read 577, faster than any other plane that had flown by over 100 mph. Even Kuromorimine when showing off their Me-262s had them fly below 500 mph which caused some confusion considering the high speeds.

"Those girls are so good, I can't wait to see what they look like!" Another girl called out causing Kay to remember that they might have been the only school using boys for anything.

"Are those, F-80Cs? But those were used in Korea, not WW2. How are they even legal?" A girl cried out in the crowd who, from earlier times Kay could clearly tell as Yukari. Her complaining about the planes being illegal scared her, she didn't like cheating and believed in fair play. Getting jets in the first place started to push her boundaries but the fact that they were used in Korea really got to her. She was going to give those boys hell if they couldn't come up with a good reason quickly.

They were very good at flying though as they pulled the maneuvers effortlessly, or at least that was what she thought it looked like. She still didn't know too much about planes but she was going to make it her mission to find out.

As soon as the boys shot towards the airfield after pulling off a barrel roll the crowd went insane and their cheers could be heard from over a mile away. Eventually things started to die down when they began to head over to start asking these new pilots questions about anything and everything they could think about.

* * *

 **Narrator POV**

"Ghosts, that was the best damn performance we've done for civilians yet! Everyone gets a round of beer tonight on me when we head to this little restaurant I was told is popular around here." Michael cheered over the radio.

"But we're all too young to drink Major." Douglas retorted.

"I know someone in the area that can get us some beer disguised as coke he's never been caught, oh and its American too, tastes great apparently." Joe exclaimed causing the boys to give another cheer even though they knew they could go to jail for breaking the law. This didn't deter them one bit, they weren't scared of anything, they were pilots trying to kill each other in the air. Casualties were frequent and you learned to live with it, if you were scared or hesitated to do one thing, you were as good as dead.

"Tower 1 this Ghost Squadron, requesting permission to land, over." Michael called over the radio.

"Ghost Squadron, this is Tower 1, permission granted at main airfield, you know the procedure. Wait, are you boys, over!"

"Roger, and yes we are, over." Michael responded to which he could a lot of background noise all of a sudden. He could barely make out someone saying; "Oh my God, she fainted!" before the transmission cut.

"Please tell me you guys hear that, over." Michael asked.

"Yes sir, that was funny as hell, over!" Joe joked right before they started to slow down and prepare for landing.

The boys started by cutting engine power and lowering their flaps to try to kill some of the speed they had picked up in their little show. A problem they would have been the amount of time it took the plane to speed up or slow down considering the early jet engine installed, they had manage to make it more responsive when upgrading it but it wasn't perfect. They then lowered the gear once they had put the plane below a safe speed and headed in for the day.

As soon as they hit the ground they could see the groups of girls standing outside the Saunders hanger with ground crew running around preparing for the arrival. As soon as they taxied in and cut power to the engine they noticed the girls staring at their nose art. Surely they would notice that girls wouldn't have pin ups on a plane.

They quickly were in the hangar and ready to get out. Right before doing so a ladder was raised next to the cockpit and the pilots all looked at each other. They gave a quick salute before lifting up their tinted visor that they had kept on to keep their identity secret.

As soon as the cockpit opened the boys climbed down and stood next to their planes before being told by the ground crew, all of which who were from Saunders by the way, to sit down at a desk in the back of the hangar. It was massive, exactly like those you see at conventions. Their were rows of chairs and exact models of their planes right next to each of them. The pilots were unsure how they managed to produce the models in such a short time but they decided not to question it.

As soon as they sat down hordes of girls started going in before sitting down in the chairs assigned to their different schools. The boys had decided while they were sitting to put down their visors so they could try to hide their identity for as long as possible.

Knowing that some girls were smarter than others and would figure it out, they also each had baseball hat next to them with their squadrons insignia and numbers. They were preparing themselves for the things that might happen considering their could be any number of questions asked about different subjects.

A woman stepped out before a podium in the middle and began talking.

"Hello and welcome Saunders pilots, today we'll be asking you questions about your planes and you of course so let's get started."

As soon as she said this the pilots started to take off their helmets and throw their hats on causing the girls to gasp in shock when they noticed it that the girls were actually boys. The guys were somewhat confused seeing as they knew they all looked mature and had deep voices and it was pretty easy to see who they were but again, they decided not to question it.

The first person to ask was a tall black-haired girl from Pravda, presumably their co-commander as she was sitting to the right of a small blond-haired girl. "Why do you think you were chosen instead girls?" She questioned with vigor and a sense of annoyance at the fact that they were boys.

"We were assigned as part of an exchange program, the school had an interest to try and go Co-Ed and we were optimal test subjects." Michael explained staring directly into her eyes.

The short blonde was next to speak and she did so in a condescending tone.

"What makes you think you'll even be competition against the girls you'll be fighting?"

"Because we're all skilled and practiced, not even including the fact were flying jets against your prop planes." Michael came back before getting up and pointing towards the planes. "Look at those markers, each one is for a plane, tank, or ship we have killed and they were all done in props. We, as a joint group have a total of over 3200 hours of flight experience and have 80 air to air kills. No matter how outnumbered, how out gunned or out maneuvered. We will find a weakness and **We Will Bury You!** "

That last part caused the room to go quiet as they realized they were flying against hardened veterans who had many kills to their name. These boys wouldn't give them any quarter no matter what the situation. They didn't have the same sense of fair play Kay did and would do anything to win no matter the cost. This could be respected and was but they were still scared nonetheless. Kay could be seen with a frown on her face yet she understood why he had gotten so defensive. He felt like he was being called inferior and defended his squadron's reputation.

He quickly sat down and it was a few seconds before anyone asked any more questions, still somewhat visibly shocked. A girl with big brown hair from the Oorai section asked why they were flying F-80Cs if they were used during the Korean War.

"We used to be P-80s originally modeled to the ones which were flowing in Europe during the later stages of WW2 yet saw no action. We simply changed them to the F-80C so we could have an advantage over anyone we came across. It wasn't against the rules so It's not wrong no matter what your moral compass might tell you, these planes will be faster than anything we go against." Douglas explained seeing as he was the pilot with the largest knowledge of history while also giving Michael a little break from the questions.

"Are you worried about your tanks not being able to pull through and win the match for you on the ground?" A girl with short blond hair from St. Gloriana questioned making the boys internally nervous yet they did not show it. This question was a problem, in one way they would have to lie and only the idiots in the crowd wouldn't notice. Or they would tell the truth and bash Saunders possibly ruining their relation with their tankers.

"We all agree that Saunders has room for improvement in its tanks and crews but we are confident in its ability to pull through when needed." Mitchell explained before receiving a nod from the other pilots.

"I know you boys have had lots of flight time and kills but do you think you'll be able to fight off the Nishizumi Style?" A girl from Kuromorimine with light blonde hair questioned.

"Well, if a your style got stopped by a first year school then I don't think it should be that hard for us, honestly I think we will kill any opposition against us." Joe respond which caused a quite a few people in the crowd to scowl at the American pilots.

After only a few more questions the time ran out and the boys were allowed to leave heading towards Kay. Before they got there the boys were shot angry looks showing the clear dissatisfaction towards them. Whether it was towards the insults they gave or just the fact they were boys, they weren't sure, most likely both.

"Well that was fun Major." Joe said clearly sarcastic about the entire experience. They knew they were now not liked by everyone but they tried not to care. They were going to run them all into the ground, nothing could stop them, they were invincible. Or at least that was what they thought, anything could happen and flying jets made it all the more dangerous.

"You guys could have been a little nicer about that!" Kay spoke catching the boys off guard as she was came in from behind with an angry face.

"I'm sorry but they were questioning my pilots in a rude way. Clearly thinking they were better so I decided to put them back in their place. Under no circumstances can someone who is not of a superior rank question my pilot's skills without seeing us perform or based off gender!" Michael retorted clearly pissed off.

"Let's just ignore this, thanks for what you said about us, we were worried about that question." Alisa said again surprising the boys who hadn't noticed her behind Kay with Naomi. They really needed to pay more attention in situations like this or it would come to bite their ass later in life.

"Let's head to the restaurant I told you guys about, ok." Kay interjected causing everyone to nod in agreement before hopping onto the Jeep she had outside. Not a word was uttered during the short 2 minute drive. They stopped outside a large building called the Panzer Cafe and it seemed like a nice place. They could clearly tell it was busy from the noise coming inside, mostly the other schools who had gotten their girls their quickly.

As soon as they walked in they were greeted by a waiter who took them upstairs and sat them at their assigned table. They were right in between Pravda and Kuromorimine, two schools that may have not had a problem with the girls but for sure hated the boys after what they said.

"Everyone please take your seat!" A woman dressed in blue announced at the front of the room with an authoritative yet happy seeming tone.

The boys could tell they were being watched even though they weren't doing anything. After they ordered some coke and steak seeing as they were all wanting the same thing, oddly enough causing Kay to laugh a little.

"So after this what should we do?" Michael asked.

"I think we should head to this one house we have here and enjoy our time, it would be great to watch a few of your older matches!" Kay said before receiving a nod from the boys clearly fine with watching. A question could be raised whether it was to spend time with the girls or actually watch the matches. It was clear that Michael enjoyed Kay and Douglas was starting to like Alisa but nothing was set in stone just yet.

After receiving their food and eating all of it at an extremely quick rate they were approached by two girls from Kuromorimine, clearly the commander and the co-commander who they now understood as Maho and Erika.

"You know Kay, your pilots are going to be your downfall." Erika said with an angry tone causing the girls to double back yet the boys just sat there and laughed.

"What do you find funny, you should be serious knowing your integrity is being questioned. You have equipment beyond most other schools and your record seems to show it but you act like you don't care." Maho questioned causing the boys to laugh even more.

"You know, that's the thing about you Nazi girls, you have your panties in a twist the entire time. Learn to enjoy life and have fun sometime, in fact here's an invitation. Kay, if it's fine with you I would like to invite these two girls over to the house tonight to watch some of our old matches." Michael said which caused the two girls to visibly real back in shock. Here they were insulting them and these boys, who had earlier been complete asses about everything, were inviting them to have fun.

"Sure, I would love to invite them over, in fact. I would like to invite all the commanders and co-commanders from different schools over tonight!" Kay replied with her usual bubbly feeling causing the boys to smirk a little at knowing they would be in a room full of girls watching their exploits.

"Ok then, it's settled. Kay please send out an invitation to every school you would like to come with the time and place. They can come if they want and have some fun with food and music while watching past matches. Please come you two, it would mean a lot to us." Joe said which surprised the girls thinking that only Michael would speak. They still had a lot to learn about these new boys, everyone did.

"Well were going to head out and prepare the house, see you girls there at 1900!" Kay said before getting up and walking towards the exit followed by the boys seeing as the bill would be charged to a tab. While the two girls had said nothing whatsoever about actually going she just assumed it. Once again Naomi and Alisa had stayed quiet the entire time which was weird for most people but it seemed to be their personality.

Jumping onto the jeep the group headed towards the clubhouse to get ready for their new guests. It would be crowded but the more the merrier so they would need to prepare now. God only knows what was going to happen as the boys were to begin to relive memories of battles past.

* * *

 _That's it for Chapter 2_

 _Made it a bit long to make up for the first chapter being short._

 _Next chapter all the planes will be revealed and their will be some flashbacks._

 _Thanks for reading and as always reviews are appreciated._

 _!Have a Good Day!_


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took a while, I've been really busy lately, but I will keep the chapters coming.

Anyways, thanks for still reading these and I hope this will be fun for you!

I do not own _Girls Und Panzer_

* * *

Chapter 3

The Clubhouse was huge, it was easily the size of a decent country club. Apparently, there was a bowling alley, basketball court and movie theater not to mention the restaurant there. They had to make sure it was all ready for their guests, assuming they would come.

There were drinks of all kinds spread out along the building. Joe was out picking matches he thought would be good to show to everyone. Douglas was helping Alisa with whatever she needed, and Mitchell was helping cook on the grill. Michael on the other hand, was away from everyone else trying to come up with what he'd say to everyone once they came. He was guaranteed to receive some flak for his comments earlier, but he knew it would eventually die down.

It only took a few hours to get everything 100% ready, right after everybody just sat down in the lounge waiting. The doorbell rang shortly after and Kay walked up to open it. Five girls walked in, all clearly from St. Gloriana High School.

"Hey Darjeeling, Assam, Orange Pekoe, Rosehip and who is this new girl!" Kay shouted with excitement happy that people were coming to her little party. There stood this one girl with brown hair and light skin wearing the usual uniform of her school.

"This right here is Ceylon, our newest member to the tea garden and our squadron leader." Darjeeling said with her usual calm demeanor. Ceylon was looking at everyone in the room before bowing, she then shot a look at Michael before looking back at Kay.

"Well it's great to meet you, I can't wait to see you perform in the tournament. You guys should make yourselves comfortable, I'll show you around. The boys will wait here by the door to let anyone else in." Kay said before taking them down a hallway.

Only 30 seconds later the doorbell rang again, and Michael got up to answer it. He opened it only to see three girls from Pravda. The short blond girl he now knew as Katyusha and Nonna. They were followed by another girl, tall with long white hair, presumably their squadron leader.

"Joe, the Ruskis are here, get the shovels!" Michael joked causing a shriek from Katyusha, still somewhat scared after he said he would bury all his opponents. Nonna shot him a glare and he just responded by laughing annoying her even more.

"Come in, don't be scared. It's great to meet you guys on more friendly terms. Make yourselves comfortable. The St. Gloriana girls are here so Kay's going to be gone. Naomi and Alisa are somewhere around here." Michael said before letting everyone through the door. The girls didn't even say a word as they walked towards one of the halls, clearly still pissed at him.

"So, who's your pilot?" Michael questioned causing the girls to turn around.

"She is Natasha, our squadron leader and she is very skilled." Katyusha said while still standing behind Nonna as if using her as a bodyguard.

"Well it's great to meet you Natasha, I can't wait to see you fly. Hopefully one day we can go against each other." He said before offering his hand out for a handshake. Natasha shook it but still clearly being held in reserve as if expecting something bad to happen. He really had scared the shit out of them, he felt accomplished although he probably shouldn't show it.

After they parted hands Katyusha turned around walking away before being followed by the girls. Everyone so far seemed to be avoiding the boys, not that he could blame them, but they could at least try to be a little friendlier.

As soon as they went around the corner the door rang again. Everybody seemed to be coming at right around now, 30 minutes before the invitation stated. Not that he was complaining but things were going to get a little boring if it kept up like this with no one talking to them.

Surprisingly, Maho and Erika were at the door. He really though they wouldn't come, they didn't seem like the kind of people to accept invitations to social gatherings.

"Hey, glad you guys decided to come!" Michael said, by the tone he was clearly lying but either they didn't pick up on it or decided not to pursue the matter.

"Thanks, now where do we go, what do we do?" Maho questioned in a monotone voice.

"You guys usually don't go to these kinds of things I take it."

"No not really, were not usually allowed to go but let's just pretend this never happened. It would be rude to decline an invitation like this without giving reason." Maho said with a small hint of sadness in her voice but whatever feelings she had were quickly suppressed.

"Well we have food over there, drinks here and a TV right there with couches so just relax until Kay gets back." He showed pointing to where he was talking.

"Where's Kay?" Erika questioned.

"She's currently showing the St. Gloriana girls around, say did you guys not bring any pilots?" He looked around trying to see if he missed anybody.

"No, they flew back to the carrier immediately after and will not be coming tonight." Maho spoke with a rather serious tone.

"Shame, I really wanted to see who you guys had as your squadron leader, oh and don't be surprised if you see three girls from Pravda walking around!" He said right before they turned around and walked towards the TV.

"Hey Douglas, get over here! I think I see those girls from Chi-Ha-Tan coming. I want you to open the door, let's see their faces when the _Jap Eater_ comes." Michael joked before he sat back down.

The girls walked up to the door before ringing the bell. Their faces all went white when Douglas opened the door. They were truly afraid of him causing the boys to die laughing uncontrollably. Douglas simply remained calm and introduced himself before allowing them inside, they had their pilot behind them. A short Japanese girl with short black hair, she clearly was also afraid of Douglas.

Michael simply got up and walked away as the girls walked off into the club house, he paid no attention to what Douglas said but he couldn't care less. He wanted to find Kay, she should say hello to her other guests instead of spending all her time with one group.

He marched down the halls at a fast pace for no apparent reason other than to just find Kay. The place was even bigger than he originally though, kind of like a maze. He was starting to worry he'd get lost, but he kept going anyway.

Eventually after three more minutes of walking, he found her. She was showing the girls around an indoor garden near the back of the clubhouse. The place smelled of roses and tulips, but she noticed the girls were all crowded around the tea plant section.

"Hey, Kay you have a shit load more guests just walking around now, should you go and at least say hi to the…" Michael said before pausing as he noticed he wasn't having any attention payed to him. The girls were all staring at something but he couldn't figure out what it was.

As he walked closer he noticed a brightly colored butterfly sitting on top of the plant. He just watched as it shot up and flew towards him before rolling to the side and flying out an open window, the girls' eyes following it the entire time. As soon as it left they just stared at him and didn't say a word.

"So, as I was saying, Kay we have more guests now, ok." He said slowly before she nodded and recomposed herself before blushing a little bit.

"Ok well I'm going to go say hi to our guests, why don't you get yourselves acquainted with these lovely ladies right here!" She replied before walking down the hall towards the waiting room.

"Well then, I'm Darjeeling, this is Assam, Orange Pekoe, Rosehip, and you already met Ceylon. We are the members of the tea garden and it's a pleasure to meet you Michael." Darjeeling softly spoke before giving him a smile. He had no idea why they were named after tea or what the tea garden was but he decided to play along.

"It's a pleasure to finally know your names. So, I don't really know what you guys are flying, would you mind telling me?"

We are using the Supermarine Spitfire IX variant!" Ceylon said with pride in her voice, clearly happy of the planes she was getting to fly.

"Those are very nice planes and I can't wait to see you in action, I'm sure you'll do great!" At those last words she blushed even though he didn't mean anything of that sort.

"So, when do you think we'll get to watch your matches in the movie theater?" Assam questioned, clearly trying to figure out what their tactics were. He was surprised she already hadn't figured it out considering the planes they were flying. Maybe she had already done so and she was just trying to lead him into a false sense of security. The possibilities were endless, but he could spend all day worrying or have fun, he decided to choose the latter.

"Soon, I'd say probably in 20 minutes so we should start walking back right about now."

"Ok, then let's head back like he said, I can't wait to see who came." Darjeeling said in a rather quiet tone before heading off down the hall followed by the rest of the girls. The way they moved, it was so elegant and graceful, yet everything was in perfect order like a march.

"Hey Ceylon, you know, if you'd like I could teach you some tricks in the air." He offered before receiving a confused look from her while the other girls kept walking acting like nothing happened.

"Sure that'd be great!" She replied happy at the chance to improve her skills with a veteran pilot.

"Ok, just call us up anytime you need help with anything, don't matter who your facing. We'll help no matter what." He said firmly, and she could tell he meant every word of it, he was so different than the person at the airshow. She figured it was because of everyone questioning his skills and his sex but other than that he seemed pretty smart.

As soon as they finished talking they came around the corner to see people from every major school there. The room started to get crowded before Kay came up and whistled getting the entire room's attention.

"Look, were going to watch three past matches ok. After that we'll eat dinner then party!" She yelled before receiving a cheer of approval from the room.

Two doors opened and everyone shuffled into the movie theater before grabbing some popcorn or a drink and sitting down. Michael was sitting next to Kay and he could see his pilots sitting per row to answer any questions the girls from the different schools had about the match.

All of a sudden, the lights turned off and the screen turned on. _Battle of Midway,_ the title echoed through Michael's mind as he remembered the entire battle from start to finish. The casualties during that were insane and he barely made it out alive. He was the only pilot of his squadron to participate but the rest had heard or seen it on TV.

Everybody had a camera built into their leather flying helmet, it was unusually cold that day so the planes were started early, and everyone began taking off from their respective starting points.

Michael was flying his F4U, the fastest plane he had every flown until he got the P-80. He had already been in multiple matches and had 3 kills but this would truly test his strength.

* * *

 **Michael's POV**

I was getting into my Corsair to go for a scouting patrol right before we heard an announcement come from the deck of the carrier I was on.

"Enemy sighted, 450 miles, South West, 2 carriers, 4 cruisers, 2 battleships, 6 destroyers."

"Scramble now everyone get up ASAP!" Michael's squadron leader yelled before taking off.

Planes started going up every few seconds and after only a minute, the entire squadron was in the air heading towards their target. Even though the original battle wasn't fought using Corsairs there was nothing against it in the rules and it was his school's specialty.

"Alright, everybody watch your fuel and let's go get those Japs. Provide cover for the TBFs and call out every enemy you see. Continue at 20,000 feet and remain at cruising speed. ETA 2 hours over." The squadron commander was the oldest of them all being 18 but he was highly experienced with 43 kills. He had put them through some of the toughest training they had ever endured and tried to get them ready for every situation, but nothing could have prepared them for this.

The next two hours were relatively quiet with the occasional noise of someone asking a question or a new set of updates from command. Nothing was going wrong, yet.

"Bandit sighted 6 o'clock high!" Someone yelled over the radio causing everyone to turn their head only to notice 30 A6Ms diving in on them.

"Turn in on them now or your dead, permission to engage granted!" The commander said as most everyone turned.

For some unknown reason three planes continued flying in a straight line only to be shot up by multiple planes and explode. The Corsairs high speeds managed to get them behind the Zero's relatively quickly although they did take one casualty from two planes colliding.

A chaotic mess ensued with bullets flying everywhere, occasionally one would hit and cause a flash. Michael was simply trying not to die seeing as they were outnumbered and outgunned. While they were faster and could try to run or climb the Zeros could turn in on them with relative ease.

Michael had locked onto a target, a zero with a clearly novice pilot seeing as he was flying in a straight line. He lined up the target before squeezing the trigger and watching the 50s rip the plane apart lighting in on fire instantly. He was using incendiary rounds, the bane of the A6M's existence seeing as their fuel tanks weren't self-sealing and their planes couldn't take too much damage.

While the F4Us weren't the toughest planes either they could take more punishment then the Japanese which gave them the minor edge they were hoping for.

"Bandit on my six, I can't shake him aghhh!" This single sentence was repeated so many times it was like a cliché horror movie, yet it was real.

Michael simply kept turning and locking onto different targets usually catching them by surprise in the chaotic mess and shooting blowing them to pieces. He didn't see one parachute as if every hit on a plane killed them instantly. The battle was a complete mess, but most things were, it was a terrible example but as long as they won it would be worth it.

Eventually the Japanese planes started to run away as they were being beat by the more experienced Americans.

"Wing leaders, count your losses." The squadron leader ordered as he had made it through the ordeal trying to see who had made it.

"Blue Wing, 2 planes left!" Michael said.

"Red Wing, 1 plane left!"

"Green Wing, 2 planes left!"

"Purple Wing, come in over." The squadron leader called out but no reply came indicating that the wing was destroyed in combat.

"Anyone see any parachutes at all?" He called out again, but no reply came, nothing could be seen in the water indicating that no one had made it out. It was a truly terrible day even though the encounter had only lasted 20 minutes.

"News from command boys, 1 carrier sank, 1 severely damaged, 2 cruisers sank, 1 battleship severely damaged, 3 destroyers severely damaged, 1 sank. Unless they manage to hit our carriers I think we've got this in the bag!" He said over the radio although the sadness could be heard in his voice as he had lost most of his 14-plane squadron.

"We have orders to RTB and rest until we are attacked." He said before pitching the plane back towards the carriers. They had a most of fuel left over but their morale was all but gone.

The flight back was quiet, and no one said a word, the camera kept turning as Michael moved his head from side to side looking out. Clearly nervous about another surprise attack.

For some reason the radio went static and shut off causing the boys to look at each other and wave their wings. Clearly something was wrong but what It was would stay unknown for now.

There was a layer of clouds blocking their view of the carriers so they decided to pitch down and try to get a visual. What they saw shocked them, the entire fleet was all but gone with one carrier left, two cruisers, and a destroyer. Everything else was sunk, they had taken a gamble sending out a complement of planes but kept another squadron in reserve on the other carrier.

They were the more experienced squadron and they were away from the carriers when they were needed most. A sense of anger and shame came over Michael as he realized he could have done better, maybe he would have been able to save the carriers.

"Well fuck, we just got confirmation to land but the match is over because of the casualties on both sides. We have broken all casualty records by over a hundred, I take full responsibility for this loss." The commander sobbed clearly realizing his mistake. For some reason the radios just started working, again, for no apparent reason.

"It's all our faults, let's just land and try to make the best out of it." Another pilot said.

The planes all landed in quick succession before there pilots jumped out and walked downstairs. The match was over, a tie declared, a very rare thing only reserved for the deadliest of matches. Every pilot knew they could have done better but now they had to look on it as a learning experience, a very sad and painful experience. Right before he entered the carrier the camera cut off and the match was over.

* * *

 **Narrator POV**

By the end Michael's hand were shaking, a single tear rolling down his eye. He remembered every single person they lost, and he was never going to forget them.

"It's ok, that day is over and we're all here for you." Kay said as she grabbed Michaels hand looking at him with sadness in her heart. She couldn't understand the pain he was going through as she had never lost anyone, yet this boy had lost most of his friends over the years.

"Thanks, it really means a lot to me." He responded before slowly smiling at her affection.

The screen turned on with the casualty report shortly after, 212 American KIA, 223 Japanese KIA. It didn't matter they had less casualties, the number was still too high.

Right afterwards the screen turned on again showing the viewpoint of Douglas in his P-40, the match was against a German school. The battle while not as famous was known as a complete success. The school had been completely wiped out, the one thing never mentioned was the fact that this school was new and using crappy fighters like the BF-109 B1.

* * *

 **Douglas POV**

The camera cut in with the planes already in the air, Douglas was part of a 2-man team tasked with the destruction of various targets set up in the forest.

"Hey Douglas how long do you think this'll take?" His wingman asked.

"I'd say it will only take about 1 hour if not less." He boasted confident of his skill and the enemy's weakness.

"Panther spotted at 3 o'clock in the bushes engaging!" His wingman yelled before diving and releasing a 1,000-pound bomb leaving only a fireball and destroyed tank.

"3 bandits at 6 o'clock break into them and commit for a head on pass." Douglas yelled before turning in his plane and letting the six 50s loose tearing the enemy plane to shreds upon impact. His wingman killed the other but then turned away for no apparent reason leaving Douglas to try and get the other BF-109. The novice pilot simply kept going trying to pursue his wingman. He simply turned onto his tail and let out a quick burst, oddly enough it missed causing the enemy to climb away.

Douglas decided not to pursue and kept attacking enemy targets taking out 3 tanks before running out of ammunition. His wingman managed to get 5 more and a bridge. They were then, oddly enough, called back before being told the match was over. The enemy team had lost all their planes and not one casualty was taken.

"Well that honestly was pretty boring." His wingman spoke.

"Yea, I knew we'd win but I expected more of a fight." Douglas sounded sort of sad, most likely in the fact that he hoped to get more kills but twas not to happen.

They landed at the airfield, the trip was a quick 20 minutes and they just talked about life. Nothing really important, but then again, what else was there to talk about. The camera cut off as soon as they landed, and the screen instantly came up with the casualties, 33 German KIA, 0 American KIA. A complete wipeout but it was to be somewhat expected considering the lack of a worthy opponent.

* * *

 **Narrator POV**

Douglas had a smug look on his face as he knew he had somewhat impressed the Japanese girls he was sitting next to even though he really hadn't done anything. They were shocked to see their country take such loses in the last match but didn't say anything about it for it would seem rude.

Questions were asked about how something was done and what was the optimal method for killing a tank or plane but nothing really happened. That was until the next match came up on TV, the first match the boys had as one school. It was a famous German school against theirs. The three schools the boys were a part of merged due to budget constraints to form a massive, powerful aeronautical school which went undefeated for 4 years.

The American school was fielding everything from P-51s, P-40s, to SBDs, and TBFs. It also had one DH.98, the Mosquito belonging to Mitchell. He was to scout and provide information, so the main attack could proceed on the enemy airfield.

The enemy school had no lack of talent either, including two brothers. The Klingemann brothers, they each had over 30 kills and were a force to be reckoned with. While the Americans had Michael and two other pilots of reasonable kills it was still going to be tough. The match was set to last over a day with everyone going on at least one sortie to try and cause as much damage as possible.

* * *

 **Mitchell POV**

I ran into the DH.98 to get ready for a reconnaissance mission. My navigator, Ethan, was already there double checking the course. I knew it was going to be a quick mission and since it was starting in the early morning, I would have at least an hour of darkness to work with.

The plane took off with relative ease and I slowly took it to 5,000 feet. I was to fly 100 miles south before heading west at treetop level to avoid radar detection. I was to do this until I saw the airfield and make a low level pass. While the airfield did have AA guns, the chances of them being operated were low considering the fact that I should arrive by 0600.

This was only 5 minutes after the match had started technically making my flight illegal, but since no one was watching it was fine. That's the thing with the rules, until the match starts, no one cares what happens.

The flight was relatively quiet, and we were to maintain radio silence until we reached our target.

"Hopefully they don't have the same idea or even worse, they have planes patrolling the airspace around the airfield." Ethan said worrying about what might happen, if they were shot down they would die. Being at treetop level was dangerous enough but being shot at made it all the more dangerous.

"That is, if the airfield is even there." Mitchell said remembering the brief they received, the information of where the airfield was supposedly at, was stolen. Like I said earlier, no one really enforces or checks the rules so anything is fair as long as you don't get caught.

"Well we better hope it is or we just wasted time for nothing. We have to maintain a 40-mile search radius which from treetop level, is going to take a while. If we don't get lucky and spot them right away they'll scramble, and we're screwed." His navigator was worried, so was Mitchell but they had to pull through for the team.

When we shot down to treetop level, it was exhilarating. We were going so fast and to know if we just pitched down a little bit we were dead.

"Hey what's that, 3 o'clock?" Mitchell said before turning the plane to take a better look.

"That's it, marking it down now!" Ethan yelled before writing down their coordinates and any close landmarks, all that could be seen was a large river 3 miles away.

They made a quick pass over the airfield before turning around and heading home as fast as possible. As they had hoped no one could be seen tailing them, in fact they arrived 1 minute after the match started and there were no AA crews at their stations. They now had an ace up their sleeve and were intent on using it to the fullest.

"I'm going to take a little detour ok. I have a feeling we're being followed." This single sentence caused Ethan to look around the plane like a mad man.

"Ok, well where are we going then?"

"I saw this train tunnel when we passed by, there shouldn't be any trains coming through, so we'll be good, we can wait 20 minutes then head home." Mitchell said before slowing down the speed and lowering the flaps.

"Your insane!" Ethan cried with a look of fear painted onto his face.

"That's why I'm a recon pilot." He joked before lowering the landing gear, the tunnel could be seen ahead and they would need to slow down if they wanted to pull this off. It would be a tight fit, but he knew it could be done.

They managed to shoot into the tunnel and stop, it was truly amazing and it had all been caught on camera. They were extremely close to the sides and the flight out might be even more risky, but it was worth it.

"I saw a glint of metal about a mile behind us when you turned. I think we were being followed, that was still really risky though." Ethan was still white from the landing but he was starting to regain composure

"Well what would you have wanted, keep flying, be shot down and killed or risk the landing."

"Good point!"

"Regardless let's just wait this out for 20 minutes then take off back to base. Hopefully whoever had any interest in us would have left or has decided to follow the tunnel out to its exit.

"So how are we going to get this plane out of here?" Ethan questioned, the answer to which completely alluded Mitchell.

"I knew I should have thought of that before we did this. FUCK!" He yelled before kicking the wall.

"Do you think we can fly out of the other exit?" Ethan asked, it was risky but worth a shot.

"I don't see why not. We know this tunnel is only a few hundred yards long, so I'll slowly fly the plane forwards while you lead me through, ok." This was their only chance they had to get out so they were going to take it.

By some miracle they managed to get through the entire thing without a single scratch and took off. After they checked to make sure they weren't being followed again the continued off towards the airfield.

"Holy shit I can't believe we made it!" Mitchell rejoiced by rolling the plane right as he passed over the airfield.

He lowered the gears and landed the plane although there was a slight problem. Upon landing one of the gears had been damaged and collapsed causing the plane to hit the ground. Their luck had finally run out and they hit the ground hard. The plane slid for roughly 60 feet before stopping, the wooden frame had been ripped in half and the plane was now on two separate parts of the runway.

Ground crew rushed to clear the mess, so any other planes could take off when needed. It was not the best landing but considering the damage their gear had taken it was ok.

They both jumped out of the plane and ran towards headquarters with map in hand not even stopping for the people asking what happened on the way. They burst through the door running straight to the war room where strategies were being talked about. Going through the door they ran into a person holding a stack of papers and hit him going straight through him and not stopping to look behind.

"General we found it!" Mitchell yelled.

"Good work boys, show me that map."

After the map was shown and the attack directed everyone started getting in their planes to prepare for takeoff. Mitchell and Ethan were allowed to rest, they were done for today.

* * *

 **Narrator POV**

Michael and Joe were up next as their squadrons were to operate in a joint mission escorting Douglas's attack on the airfield. While Michael was flying his P-51D, Joe would be using F6F-5N and Douglas his P-47. It was odd for Joe to be flying a night fighter during the day, but he had no other plane and everybody would be needed for this mission.

The boys were already in their planes ready to go after they saw the Mosquito crash. An air siren blared out and a man ran of the main building.

"Scramble to point 0374, knock them out with one swoop and return immediately." The commander yelled before running back inside, the planes started taking off one by one and quickly approached the airfield. It was the quickest take off in the school's history considering the size of the attack.

Michael's squadron was at 20,000 feet providing high altitude escort from behind while Joe was down at 10,000 feet with Douglas. They were in a diamond formation creating an outer ring around the fighter-bombers. They were prepared for anything hopefully and would win quickly.

They managed to get to the airfield with no resistance encountered causing Michael to think it was a trap. Sure, enough as soon as they got within sight of the airfield they noticed a glint of metal. The enemy had gotten above them and were diving towards them at high speed. It was three squadrons of Focke-Wulf 190s and they were only a mile away.

"Dive, let's bring these guys towards our F6Fs!" Michael said over the radio before pitching down and turning on WEP (War Emergency Power).

"Joe, you were taken bandits to you! It's the entire enemy team, get ready for a fight." Michael yelled over the radio before he noticed the F6Fs turning around preparing for the interception.

They passed each other before turning around and preparing for a head on pass. It was risky, but it was the only option considering the fact that the enemy now had most advantages. It seemed their goal was to take out the fighters then get the P-47s while they were attacking the airfield.

"Douglas continue you attack on the airfield, though please help us when you get back here!" Michael ordered seeing as he was flight lead.

"Roger, I'll be back as soon as possible!" He replied and with that the radio went silent. The planes opened fire at about half a mile, bullets ripped through the air as planes were shot down within seconds. The hail fire of 50s and cannons pierced the air, it was the loudest thing Michael had heard but he ignored it for it would be pointless to worry about such trivial things in the heat of the moment.

They quickly passed each other at over 400 mph and instantly turned back trying to get on the others tail. The G forces strained their bodies as the turned their neck to find targets.

Even through the chaos, none of the planes collided causing the hailstorm of bullets to be even more intense. Michael pulled an Immelmann before locking onto a 190 and giving the trigger a quick squeeze. The 50s roared to life as the bullets flew into the aircraft and tore it apart. He then locked onto another plane that flew right in front of him shooting it down too.

The day was marked with planes shooting down each other left and right, after the P-47s knocked out the airfield, considering the AA were the only threat to them and they only took 2 casualties, they quickly reversed course and joined in on the fight.

While the Germans did have the two aces with them it wasn't enough and slowly but surely, they started losing planes. The Americans had taken down 2 for every 1 plane they lost which wasn't the best but it was better than nothing considering the German's formidable fighter plane.

The German cannons could rip through the Americans with the fact that the 20mms were insanely powerful and the Americans could fire so many bullets from the 50s that it balanced out if given enough time.

The maneuvers pulled by planes were legendary, both would pull a high g barrel roll, but none would get the advantage. The battle was pretty even until the P-47s came in, the Jugs were extremely hard to kill, even for the German 20mms and they started to run low on ammo.

Planes from both sides started to fly away as they ran out of ammo and many parachutes could be seen across the ground as those lucky enough to bail slowly drifted towards the ground.

Then out of nowhere, an ME-262 screamed towards the group of the last remaining planes. The rest of the Germans were retreating and there were 5 American P-51s left flying.

The 30 mm cannons on the jet shot down a P-51 before pulling up and returning to altitude. The P-51 pilot was killed instantly as his plane blew up from the large shells.

"Shit, jet at 10 o'clock climbing fast!" Michael yelled before pitching up his plane to try and catch him.

"Michael, you know we can't catch him. What should we do, he'll probably be back any second!" His wingman screamed clearly scared out of his mind. They had never gone against a jet, while there sport was popular, all the funding was provided by donors and one would expect to get more planes then nice ones considering the cost.

The jet came down again and took another 2 planes down before pulling up and flying away. They were still flying in a circle to make themselves minorly harder to hit but still had no idea what to do.

"Well, for one we need to try and lure him into a trap because we'll never catch him. I want you to be ready to jump out of the plane ok." Michael ordered to which his wingman said yes before starting preparations.

The planes were both flying next to each other at high speed before the 262 came on for another dive. Michael head was on a swivel as he was looking for the jet before he saw it diving on his wingman.

"Break now!" Michael yelled as the jet came down firing its tennis ball sized round past his wingman's cockpit. Michael pulled up to fire a quick stream of bullets into the jets right engine causing it to billow smoke.

"I got it in the engine, ok I'm going to try and engage while its slow. Cover me!" Michael said before turning on WEP for the second time trying to make sure he could keep up. While the ME-262 had one engine damaged it was still fast and in the hands of a capable pilot, a formidable opponent.

"I can't, one of his shells just hit my engine and I'm losing power. Fuck! I'll need to land, sorry and good fucking luck." His wing mate replied with a sad tone before lowering the gears to hopefully make it to a nearby field.

The German pilot then performed an Immelmann causing Michael to go in to barrel roll attack trying to get on his tail. Michael knew this was their #1 pilot although why he had been kept in reserve for so long made no sense whatsoever. The German's brother had been shot down earlier and he knew he parachuted out, so he was undoubtedly watching the match from the ground right now.

With the Mustang maneuverability being higher he quickly managed to perform the maneuver and as he got onto the jet's tail he started a flat scissors. The German was doing everything he could to get him off his tail but nothing could be done.

He tried going vertical to try and stall Michael's plane, that was his fatal mistake as his engine failed the second he applied power to it for the climb. He stalled and fell back down before Michael lit his plane up, they were only at 500 feet and there was no time to bail.

The bullets hit a fuel tank before the plane caught on fire spiraling towards the ground. The plane hit the ground and exploded with a massive explosion instantly killing the pilot. Michael was sad at the fact he had to kill the German, but he won. He had just defeated a jet using a prop plane. He pulled an aileron roll before shooting back towards his airfield and landing.

As soon as he got out he was met by cheers from a crowd and he was carried into headquarters before being placed down in front of the airfield commander.

"You fucking did it you lucky bastard! You've now shot down 29 planes." The commander said before rapping his hands around Michael and cheering. The camera cut off there and the view was of the casualties. American: 13 KIA, 28 shot down; German: 17 KIA, 31 shot down. With 36 planes on each team considering the match, the casualties were pretty low, and the match was of extreme importance as it was the last one before the boys transferred over to Saunders.

The look on Maho's face after the match was one of complete shock, they had heard a boy applied to join their team. He used to be one of the best in Germany apparently, but he was turned down on the premise of his gender. She needed to convince her mother to allow him in so they could stand a chance and he would need a new plane. Something faster than the ME-262s they had already, possibly an HO 229. While it would be expensive it would be worth it, if they could win this year it would secure their right as the leaders in Shensha-Do again.

"That was amazing Michael!" Kay cheered before jumping onto Michael and giving him a hug.

"Thanks." Was all he could reply with a smile before his face turned bright red. He was looking down Kay's V-neck and got a complete view of her breasts.

She noticed what he was looking up and shot up immediately before giving him a little smile; "Let's see if we can win the competition first."

At this Michael's face became even redder before jumping up and giving her a little wink before walking towards Joe. The lights had come on and everyone was getting up, some still shocked at the level of skill they had just seen. They knew the boys were good, but this good. They were screwed for this year and they needed to find out how to counter them as soon as possible.

"Well let's eat and then we can party!" Kay yelled before everyone nodded in response. Happy to eat, everyone went towards the table and sat down.

As soon as everyone was sat down Kay who was sitting at the head accompanied by Michael on one side and Alisa on the next. She nodded then everyone got up to get some food from the buffet line next to them.

Michael got himself a full rack of pork ribs and some fries before sitting down. Kay was having a burger the size of a person's head, it was huge, and he wondered if she could eat it. Ceylon, who was next to him, was drinking tea and having a simple sandwich along with the other St. Gloriana girls. While they may not have been from England, they did their best to act like it. Same went for every school here, they all had a theme and tried to act like it even though they weren't from there.

Dinner went by relatively quickly as everyone was hungry and there wasn't too much talk. As soon as they finished dinner and got up to go to a different room, It was large and had small tables everywhere. When they walked in music started playing causing the boys to cheer; _Geraldine's Routine_ by Tape Five. They had played it many times, it was fun and upbeat, exactly what the pilots liked.

"Kay, care for a dance?" Michael asked before she nodded prompting him to take her and start dancing. They were joined by the rest of the pilots playing around with different girls, all having fun and then switching to another girl.

Kay stayed with Michael the entire time and they danced for hours before Michael leaned in and gave her a kiss. She blushed before returning the favor and they continued dancing until the song cut off indicating that their time was over for the night.

Everyone had been there from the major schools and now they knew everyone on a more personal level. They even got to meet the girls from Oorai, they didn't seem like the group that would win a match their first year. They weren't too disciplined, but neither was Kay so whatever, the goal was to win this year and that would be it.

The girls from Anzio seemed like assholes though, they were even less friendly than the Kuromorimine girls which came as a surprise. This almost got them kicked out at times, but things quickly died down after.

"Alright ladies, well it was a lot of fun tonight and I hope you all learned something. So without further depart, good night and we can't wait to go against y'all this season." Kay said before being joined in by the other boys saying their goodbyes.

"Michael, I need to talk to you about something." Naomi said as she came over to Michael.

"Shoot!" He said before she took out a thumb drive from her pockets.

"We need to look at this, there's a few things that I think might be of concern to you." She said before they walked over to a computer plugging the thumb drive in.

The screen instantly came to life with pictures of the planes from the different schools.

"Now as you can see these are our their aircraft, Oorai has 10 the Kawanishi N1Ks, Pravda has 10 Yak-3s, Chi-Ha-Tan has 10 A6Ms, St. Gloriana has its Spitfire IXs and Anzio has the Macchi C.205. While we know for a fact Kuromorimine has the ME-262s, only nine of them showed up to fly. I also noticed that when Kay saw the two German brothers on the last match her face looked like she was searching for something before it became white. I think she knows something we don't." Naomi said, even though she had never flown a plane she seemed to be quite good at collecting data. This would definitely be helpful later and he decided he would use this nice advantage to the best of his ability.

"Well then we better watch out. Thanks again for doing this and remember, not one word about this to Kay." He said before taking out the thumb drive and putting it in his pocket.

"Your welcome! Oh, and if you do anything that hurts Kay's feelings you'll be hearing from me personally." She said before punching her fist into hand. The normally quiet girl was now threatening him, for a good reason yes, but it didn't make it that much better. Whatever thoughts he had though, he didn't show it as simply nodded and turned around to get back to Kay.

"Oh, there you are Michael, let's get on back to the carrier. We'll be taking a helicopter there ok." Kay said before grabbing him by the hand and leading him towards the door.

"What about the planes?" He asked.

"They were already safely transported, don't worry, they'll be there when we get back." She responded before he hopped into the jeep outside, surprisingly everyone was there all ready to go, even Naomi which scared him a little. How had she gotten there so fast?

They drove off into the night towards the helicopter. It was late and everyone was tired, but the day was over. It was fun, but they knew the challenges would now begin. Whatever the year may hold for them, they would be ready and God willing they would win.

* * *

That's it for Chapter 3, hope you liked it. Sorry if I missed anything important and if you want to let me know, reviews and mail will always be read.

For those wondering how I came up with the aircraft, I picked them according to the school they were with. They were not just chosen through history but also the quality of the tanks. Again, I tried to make things fair but if you disagree please let me know and I might change it in a future chapter.

Ex. Oorai is not the richest school so they could afford any Jets, but they did have the Kawanishi N1Ks.

Ex. St. Gloriana likes older tanks and uses more famous vehicles, so I chose the Supermarine Spitfire IX instead of the Gloster Meteor.

Thanks for reading this and have a good week!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, back with Chapter 4. Sorry for the shorter chapter but I wanted to get an early start on the match next chapter. Hope you guys like it and let me know of any questions.

I do not own _Girls Und Panzer_

* * *

Chapter 4

"Kay, you never told us who were against." Michael said with clear annoyance in his tone.

"Oh yea, I forgot. We're going against Pravda tomorrow!" She responded with little to no care in her voice which pissed of Michael even more. She needed to fix this or it would potentially cost them.

"Ok, I'll start briefing the boys tonight. We do need to have a talk though about the tanks, when are you free?" He questioned bringing up the talk they were supposed to have with Douglas.

"I don't have anything to do now for the next 30 minutes."

"Ok, I'll call Douglas and we can start talking when he gets here." He said before looking out through the window. The view from her office on the carrier was stunning. The ocean looked amazing and the streets were all perfectly lined up. The school was nice and class was due to start next week.

Michael looked back at Kay before noticing the bags she had under her eyes. She was still tired from last night, admittingly it was fun to be at the party. But that was yesterday, they now needed to prepare for the season.

Only 3 minutes after giving Douglas and Naomi a text they both walked into the room. They quickly sat down in chairs along the large desk next to Kay. Douglas had brought his computer and Naomi would be there to help reinforce their point.

"Kay, I'm going to be blunt with you, ok. Almost all your tanks are utter shit." Michael said causing Kay's normally happy face to turn to one of anger.

"We've done just fine with our Shermans. Why would you ever say anything like that?" By the tone in her voice she was clearly pissed.

"Your Shermans are ok but they need an upgrade. While you have the M4A1(76) and the Sherman VC Firefly, these aren't good enough." Douglas pitched in easing what Michael had said. He was always so direct and to the point, not caring about whose feelings he hurt on the way in.

"Well, what do you suggest then." She said still somewhat pissed at Michael's rude comment.

"I recommend we trade in the Locusts for M18 Hellcat and the M4s for the M4A3E8. It has a bigger 76mm gun and increased speed using a more powerful engine. It is also equipped with HVSS which will help our tanks go through the mud and other obstacles which would typically stop us." Douglas spoke using information and reasoning as his ally. She couldn't argue with him when he was so obviously right, they did have a problem with the quality of their tanks.

"Why the M18 though?" She asked still somewhat confused.

"The M18 is faster than you locusts, has a bigger gun, and can be used effectively in more than one area. Although you will need to retrain your crews and they will need to spend more time preparing. Oh, and for the case of the Hellcats being open topped. Just attach a thin roof to it, that should solve the problem." He again stated with reason as they all knew that Saunders crews weren't even close to the best.

"We also need to fix your tactics. Besides that you now have planes, your tactics originally weren't very effective. You rely more on numbers then on skill, and you need to develop tactics for scouting. With these new tanks you'll be able finally start gaining advantages and setting up traps in advance." Michael said clearly trying to help persuade her into investing the club's money. He could tell she was seriously considering it, if this went through then they could be ready for the rest of the year.

"I'm still not sure, Naomi what do you think about this?" She asked trying to get a second opinion. Here she was, the head of the tankery team and these pilots were lecturing her about tanks. It was absurd, yet they had managed to bring up many good points. These boys kept surprising her every day, she really needed to stay on top of the ball if she was to keep up with them.

"I honestly agree with them, although does that mean we need to get rid of my tank?" The firefly tanker said in support of the boys, Kay really did have a problem here and she needed it fixed.

"I don't see why not; its seventeen pounder is very useful at longer ranges and offers good penetration. You've also clearly mastered it and with your skills it can be a massive addition to the team." Douglas said causing a smile to form over Naomi's face.

"Ok then, I shall put in an order for these tanks. How many do we need?" Kay responded causing a Michael to mentally cheer.

"I think we should get 4 Hellcats and 14 Easy 8s. That will leave one space open for any additional tanks we want to take into combat. I suggest we have that last slot figured by the finals or else we'll be in trouble. How fast can you get them here?" Michael said trying to formulate plans before anything were to actually happen.

"I can get them here in 4 days by the least, ok. Oh, not one word of this to anyone else understood." Kay said before grabbing her pencil to write this new information down.

"Yes mam!" The two pilots said in unison before standing up and saluting. They quickly walked out the door leaving the two girls to themselves in the office.

"Major, what are we going to do today?"

"I want everyone to be at the airfield in 30 mikes flying, we'll land at 1700 and eat. After that I want us all to sit down with the team and discuss tactics. We need to win this next match no matter what the costs, understood." Michael said before going down a flight of stairs towards the hangar.

"Yes Major!" Douglas said before heading off to go and get the others. They both knew today was going to be a hard day and tomorrow would be a chance to get some combat in these new jets.

* * *

 **Meanwhile at Pravda**

"We shall crush Saunders under our boot! They will never stand a chance against the might of Katyusha." The little blond said referring to herself in third person. While this was extremely annoying to some people Nonna didn't seem to mind.

"The girls no, the boys on the other hand. They will pose some problems, there jets are better than ours as well as their skilled pilots." Nonna spoke with elegance but also with a hint cold hard determination. Barely every smiling and rarely giving out compliments were sometimes enough to scare her opponents.

"Our pilots can do it, they have been training you know. Regardless, we have ten planes to their five. All we need to do is take out their tanks and we're basically guaranteed victory." Katyusha had a way of bragging things and trying to compensate for her height but she was still a dangerous enemy nevertheless.

"I would still feel better if we were fighting in the snow, but beggars can't be choosers. I agree with you; their cockiness and Kay's tactics will be their downfall!" Nonna said, she was confident they would win but those boys were still going to be a threat.

* * *

 **In the skies above Saunders**

Alright ghosts, we'll be flying for 3 hours today. I want us to practice the basic tactics we learned, understood." Michael said over the radio. They were flying above the school at 30,000 feet. While they were experienced in combat, it was necessary to sharpen their skills and be ready for anything they might come up against.

"Yes sir!" The sudden burst of noise caused the radio to screech, minorly causing annoyance among the boys. This would need to be fixed for it would eventually become problematic.

They started by having two fighters engage each other in combat. They were to practice different maneuvers and tactics before initiating a mock dogfight.

Michael and Joe were up first. Michael had his plane accelerated to 500 mph before pulling sharply up followed by Joe. Joe's plane was going at a slower speed to simulate the prop planes they would be against.

During the vertical climb Joe started to stall prompting Michael to step on the right rudder pedal. This flung the plane over before Michael pointed the plane towards Joe who was now falling trying to regain speed. He simply got within range and pointed his guns before touching the trigger.

Click, nothing happened; the guns were empty as use of real ammunition could prove deadly to the pilots besides the obvious reason of not having any backup planes.

"You're dead! Ok now this is something I want you all to practice, using this we can effectively use our speed against the enemy. We will also have the problem of being outnumbered during a match." Michael spoke before getting everyone to repeat the maneuver multiple times until it was perfect.

"Major, I recommend we work in teams of two so we can cover more ground." Mitchell said always trying to think of something related to reconnaissance.

"Ok but we can't get separated too far or else we'll be picked off." Joe shot in trying to keep them from dying.

"I have an idea!" Douglas said.

"Oh God, here it comes." Joe joked causing everyone to laugh.

"I think we should have one group at 4,000 feet while another stays a half-mile behind at 10,000 feet. That way the lower group acts as bait and draws everyone in while being able to provide reconnaissance." Douglas explained, the plan was relatively sound but there could be a problem if the enemy attacked the higher group.

"Ok we'll consider it but let's get some more practice for now!" Michael said before everyone started to practice maneuvers. From everything to Immelmans to intentionally stalling your plane, it was all done. This practice would help but they were running low on fuel and needed to finish off the day soon. They spent hours doing so hoping it would help against Pravda.

"We're going to start our dogfight now. I want both groups starting at 10,000 feet and going at each other, no rules." Michael spoke before an important question was asked.

"But sir, how do we know If we've hit?" Joe asked causing a quick word of agreement from the other boys.

"Your goal is to cause the enemy to get into a position where you couldn't possibly miss. You can't lead your targets so you'll have to force them into a spot where they can't get out. Good luck!" Michael said before cutting off transmission and going onto the designated radio wave with Joe.

"Let's climb and dive on them, try to use your speed to prod them into giving chase." Michael ordered before pitching up followed by Joe.

After a few minutes of climbing they leveled off at 410 mph. While the bubble canopy provided excellent view compared to many older WW2 planes it still couldn't look down.

This was until Michael went inverted and started looking around before rolling back onto his top.

"Bandit spotted, 4 o'clock low!" He yelled before pitching into a dive again followed by Joe.

As soon as they began their dive and started zipping towards their target Joe noticed something was wrong.

"Wait, why is there only 1 plane?"

"Shit, get ready. He's probably going to turn in so let's lower our speed just to make sure we don't damage the wings." Michael said before pulling back the throttle.

As soon as he did this the enemy plane turned into him, they didn't get a chance to shoot as they quickly went past. This was one of the hallmarks of early jet warfare, quick passes with less than a second to react.

As they turned back and began chasing after the enemy they noticed another plane diving in on them. It could be seen that Mitchell was playing bait while Douglas attacked, he was clearly trying to show his tactic he had explained. Michael knew that it would work but if they hadn't been so impulsive it might have backfired.

Michael then turned into Douglas before accelerating to catch him. Douglas then made one fatal mistake, he put his speed into altitude but did so going completely vertical. Michael simply pitched up and got onto his tail before switching back onto the team frequency they could all here.

"Ghost 2, you have just been killed!" He said before turning back down to see Mitchell maneuvering like a madman.

"Do you need help?" Michael questioned remaining a few hundred feet above the fight.

"Na, I got him." Joe said, right at this moment Mitchell killed lowered his flaps and hit hard left rudder causing him to completely reverse. He picked up the speed in the dive and came up behind Joe who had tried to catch him.

Joe simply overshot him for the second time giving Mitchell the opportunity to get on his tail.

"Ghost 1, you're out!" Mitchell said before climbing at a 30° angle. How he managed to do that trick was beyond comprehension. While Mitchell was skilled, he wasn't a dog fighter. Michael would have to ask him when they got on the ground.

Michael then dove on Mitchell as he was climbing, he simply eased his way up behind him and squeezed the trigger.

"Ghost 3, your boned!" Michael joked before doing a small victory roll.

"Well shit, I was wondering where you were." Mitchell said as he began to descend to the airfield where the other two pilots were waiting for them.

The two boys quickly landed before parking their jets in the hangar. As soon as Michael got out he quickly took off his helmet and cheered.

"You lost!" He joked pointing his finger towards Mitchell and Douglas who were looking at him with an annoyed look. Sometimes there Major could be an asshole but it was always in good fun.

He then proceeded to walk down the ladder next to his cockpit. The ground crew at Saunders were really nice and by the end of the year they needed to find a way to repay them. That would have to be solved later as tomorrow they had a match.

"We needed work ok, we might not get the same opportunities tomorrow. Tonight we're going to have a meeting and we will talk strategy, understood?" Michael ordered.

"Sir yes sir!" They said in unison.

"Dismissed!"

As soon as he said this they all quickly went in different directions off to enjoy the rest of their day. Dinner was in 10 minutes and there wasn't enough time to change clothes. So Michael simply put his helmet on a rack switching it for a baseball hat with an infrared American flag on it.

He then took out his phone and started playing music on the way to dinner, _Rocket Man_ by Elton John came on. A nice song to wind down too, he had so much pent-up inside of him now. The match tomorrow, the ordering of the new tanks, the management of the planes and that he would have to try to talk some sense into Kay's planning. They had lost so often and she was part of the reason, he knew it had to be her fault in some way. He swore to himself that he would be determined to fix that.

* * *

 **Strategic Planning Meeting**

"Alright, so I'm going to leave this up to vote. Which tanks should we bring?" Kay asked as she gathered her commanders around her including the boys.

Leaving it up to her subordinates to decide her field composition. This, Michael thought, was one of the worst decisions a commander could make. You were in charge, you took the best of what you had and formed your plan around it.

Although it seemed that in most matches Saunders had been in that the plan was always the same, charge and try to overwhelm the enemy. This was even worse than just hiding as it gave the enemy the perfect chance to kill you while you couldn't do anything back effectively.

"I want you to bring Naomi's firefly and 9 M4A1(76)s, ok!" Michael said as he stood up with clear anger in his voice. The boys next to him not surprised that he was taking charge. Most of the girls on the other hand were shocked that a pilot would decide their tanks used.

"This is not war, it's just a game." One girl yelled.

"We should have fun doing this!" Another one said.

"Well then, if you want to win and stop being a shitty team then I suggest you start treating it like war." Michael ordered before slamming his fist on the table. He was pissed at these girls who thought they could talk back to him.

"I'm a Major, I only answer to two people here. Alisa and Kay so all of you will shut it!" Michael yelled causing the girls' faces to go completely white, only Naomi wasn't surprised.

Kay did seem mildly pissed but she couldn't help but agree with him. No matter how many times he insulted them he was right about them needing to try if they wanted to win.

"Ok then, it's settled. We'll be taking Michael's composition suggestion. Now onto tactics, what should we do?" Kay said causing the other girls to look even more surprised. Here was the commander of their team taking suggestions from a male pilot.

"How about we do what we always do." A girl said, this caused Michael to get even more pissed. How could these girls do the same thing over and over after it had failed so often? The other boys could see him getting worked up, so Douglas took the lead for this one.

"Well first let me see this map." He spoke as he grabbed a map and took out a red pen.

"I suggest we have Naomi positioned up here on this ridge. It only has one access point and provides a view of the entire area." Douglas said as he started drawing on the map to show positions.

"Ok but what about the rest of our force, what should they do?" Alisa asked somewhat intrigued at this new plan.

"Well we should have one Sherman in the bushes guarding the path up to the ridge. 3 Shermans should go out and scout individually, quietly stalk them until they are a mile away from Naomi. Then simply get their attention, lead them to this natural dip and take cover. Meanwhile the other tank will be camouflaged and hidden along two depressions in the land. When they are being shot at you move in and encircle them." Douglas said revealing his plan.

The girls were astonished at the detail, they had never even considered something like this before and he made it on the fly which was even more impressive.

"If you can get them clumped up tightly it will make an easier target and could provide the possibility for us to drop a bomb." Douglas said causing a nod of approval from the other boys.

"Well, that settles the tank but what are you guys going to do?" Kay asked clearly interested in the aerial battle that was going to take place above them.

"Well were going to equip ourselves with 2 1,000 lbs. bombs and 8 127mm unguided rockets." Douglas said before being cut off by Michael.

"We are going to be flying the beginning of the match in finger for formation. We will then break apart with Douglas and Mitchell staying at 4,000 feet with Joe and I half a mile behind at 10,000 to offer cover. Hopefully the enemy takes the bait and attacks them so we can dive in to support. As soon as we finish off the planes we'll move into support in what every way we can. We will not however use our bombs unless they are stuck in a pocket like we discussed." Michael explained drawing a picture of their formation on a small piece of paper.

"Ok then, what about if we are attacked from the air and you guys are busy?" Naomi questioned still somewhat concerned at the fact that the boys were outnumbered.

"You have the 50s installed on the top of your tanks right?" Douglas asked.

"Yes, but we don't think that will be enough to help." Naomi said.

"Just make sure to keep moving and lead your targets. Put enough lead in the air within a certain area and you'll most likely hit something." Douglas's trust in the girls aiming was questionable. While he thought Naomi might be able to pull something off the other girls would most likely completely miss.

Michael was watching this the entire time and he began to think to himself what would happen once they got their new tanks. He would need to get everyone to train and finally start taking this sport seriously. Michael was wanting Kay to start imposing punishments for people who didn't come to practice. Enough punishments and you were kicked off the team. Kay wouldn't like it but she needed to accept it for them to win.

"That settles it then, we have everything planned out. Now I want you all to go home and relax, 0800 at the sheds be there." Kay spoke before turning around and walking out the building.

The thought of once again having to go into the fray unnerved Michael as he couldn't stop thinking about Midway. He was scared and that match truly unnerved Michael, seeing his friends die right in front of him.

"Stop it, you're tougher than this. You are the best damn pilot the world has ever known. So go out tomorrow and show those Russians whose boss!" He said aloud yet no one was around. Thank God or else it might have been a bit embarrassing.

He quickly walked into the dorm before laying down on turning on the radio. He had his own personal room and it was covered with papers. There were papers describing the P-80 and F-80C. He had pictures of him from the past in front of a multitude of planes along the walls. An American flag hung from above the doorway. His room was still somewhat of a mess and he needed to fix that.

Promising himself he would fix everything after the match he changed and got ready to hit the sack. While it was only 2200 he felt spent so as soon as he laid on his bed he was out. The season had started and there was much to do, he hoped he could make it through. Whatever it took to win he would do, that much he promised himself.

He would be against Yak 3s, a plane loved by its pilots and ground crews alike. Extremely light yet robust, if they could beat this they would have a much easier time against other schools. This single thought scared Michael even more knowing that they would be outnumbered, outgunned, and out maneuvered. It would take skill and a stroke of luck to pull this off.

* * *

That's it for chapter 4, hope I built the suspense a little.

I'm currently in the middle of studying for three exams next weak so expect the chapters to be coming out a little slower.

!As always reviews are appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

So, here's the battle, sorry if it seems a little rushed but because of the circumstances in the story it will be relatively quick. The next few fights however will be longer, expect 8,000 words at the least. So without further ado, here we go!

I do not own _Girls Und Panzer_

* * *

Chapter 5

"All right let's do this!" Michael yelled right after walking into the tank sheds. They had docked during the night and everything had been taken to their respective starting points. The air was relatively cold being at 50°F but this did not discourage the boys, it should get warmer seeing as it was only 0800. Other than that, the sky was completely clear, save for a few clouds. This would aid them and hurt them as they had nowhere to hide along with the enemy.

"All our plans have been checked over and studied so we should be good." Douglas said. The boys had looked over the plans at breakfast and again on the drive over. They were hopefully ready for whatever Pravda had to throw against them. The Yaks would be a challenge but nothing crazy compared to what they had gone against. This couldn't be stressed enough, and he hoped everyone had taken it to heart and not underestimated the Russians.

"Well let's go to the starting area!" Kay said before having everyone get on the Jeep. After a quick drive down, a ramp and through the streets they arrived.

Pravda could be seen at the other end; their tanks were all lined up. 5 T-34/76s, 3 T-34/85s, an IS-2, and a KV-2. They would have considerable opposition on the ground but nothing that couldn't be beat. Since it was an elimination match the IS-2 couldn't be bypassed because of the strong armor like was usually done. They would need to execute their tactics carefully if they were to make sure no one made it out. All the Russian tanks could easily penetrate their tanks and theirs could only take out the T34s from the front.

Saunders had all of its tanks lined up and ready to go. All the girls were standing at their relative positions outside the tanks ready for the match to start. He could make out the other pilots on the end of the field standing at attention. A BM-13 could be seen driving towards them at speed before coming to a stop. The deadly Katyusha launcher or Stalin's Organ wreaked havoc on the Germans but thankfully it was not allowed here.

Out came Nonna and Katyusha who were now walking towards them. Kay then walked up to her before offering her hand to which Katyusha did nothing. She simply looked at Nonna who put her up on her shoulders.

"Now Katyusha is taller than all of you!" The little blond exclaimed causing a laugh from the boys, they had never seen this before.

"Now isn't that just adorable?" Joe joked causing all the boys do die. They were on the floor rolling around. Even though they had already met and were acquainted somewhat this did not stop them from going after her, everything was fair game.

"Stop it! The mighty Katyusha will crush you all!" She yelled causing the boys to laugh even more.

"No more, please! Please!" Michael said as he could be seen kicking the ground. For some reason this joke had broken them, they had been with Joe for over a year, but this completely had them going insane. He had never laughed so hard in his life even though he had seen funnier things.

Katyusha simply sat their pouting while Nonna glared at the boys. Her stare usually freaked people out yet had no effect on the boys who were just now starting to stand up. They just couldn't stop laughing, he had hit the ball out of the park and into the moon.

"This match will be over before you know it!" Katyusha said before getting in the truck and driving back to her lines.

"You're right, it'll be over with a white flag above your tank!" Joe called back causing her to get even more pissed.

"Holy shit that was hilarious!" Douglas said still trying to hold in the laughter. They could see some of the girls trying to hide their laughter, it was fun to piss her off. Kay seemed to like it but also was somewhat disappointed. She thought after the party that they had become friends, the boys and her but no. They were willing to make fun at anything.

"All teams bow!" A voice came over the radio before everyone bowed.

"Good luck boys! Make sure to keep in touch with us." Kay said before they started before got in a jeep and started driving towards the airfield.

They quickly arrived and began walking over to their planes. They noticed the Pravda pilots at the other end and quickly snapped them off a salute which was not returned. That really annoyed the boys as they should at least have some manners, even if there was the chance they would kill the other. The planes had already been checked and turned on. The boys simply jumped into the planes before throwing on their helmets and closing the cockpits.

"Commscheck." Michael said hoping the radios would be working.

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 1, I read you loud and clear."

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 2, reading you just fine."

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 3, locked and loaded!"

"Ghost Actual this is Kay, we can all read you just fine." She said.

"Match Start!" The announcer yelled.

"Ghosts take off, begin formation!" He ordered over the radio prompting the pilots to start accelerating.

They quickly climbed up to altitude within a few minutes and broke off beginning their formation. They were 10 miles away from the play area where they were free to engage so he began to check on how Kay was progressing.

"Kay this is Ghost Actual, how is the plan going?"

"Ghost Actual we're mostly in position. Naomi's crew is busy digging in and we have found the ditch and are staying in it. Our scouts have not yet encountered the enemy."

"Wilco, we are in formation and are heading towards the border ETA 1 Mike."

"Good luck, I'll keep you informed on anything happening, Kay out!" With that the radio went silent and all they heard was the soft noise from their engines. The noise always seems to make Michael somewhat sleepy, yet he had to stay up. This was their chance to show everyone how good they were in the flesh.

"Alright Ghosts we have just entered the area of engagement. Keep a lookout for anything of importance." He ordered.

"Roger that!" They all said in unison.

A few minutes went by without anything happening causing the pilots to grow nervous. Why had they heard nothing from Kay? Did something happen to the radios? So many questions but they had to focus on what was before them.

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 3, possible bandits at 11 o'clock low." Mitchell called out causing everyone to look down.

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 3, 6 bandits confirmed!" He yelled before slowly pitching the plane towards the incoming planes.

"They haven't seen us yet, are we clear to engage?" He eagerly asked.

"Wait for us to dive down and then on my mark engage." He ordered.

"Kay this is Ghost Actual, we are engaging 7 bandits, keep a look out for the other 3." He said hoping that the others weren't looking for the tanks. The others had been flying at only 1,000 feet so it was most likely possible.

"Understood!" She said before the transmission cut silent once again. At least he knew she hadn't been engaged or knocked out.

He then pitched the plane towards the enemy followed by Joe before quickly catching up to Mitchell and Douglas.

"Engage!" He yelled over the radio prompting the two pilots to follow him. They quickly each picked a target before lining up the gun sights and closing in.

After hitting 570 mph the planes were starting to shutter as the airframes began to stress from the high speeds. This did not deter them as they were quickly on their targets. Each pilot fired a quick burst which hit the enemy planes like a sledgehammer on glass. The incendiary rounds quickly lighting up whatever they came into contact with.

They then quickly pulled up only to narrowly miss the ground by a hundred feet. The G forces from the turn causing them to grit their teeth, the strain put on their bodies only being helped by their training, experience, and the state of the art G-suit.

As they shot back up to altitude they took a quick look at their prey. They instantly noticed three parachutes from the planes that had been engaged. A fourth plane could be seen flying away with smoke in its engines. Foolishly the Yaks began to climb after them trying to get on their tale.

"Hell yeah!" Joe yelled knowing he had scored a kill.

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 3, does that count as a kill?" He questioned being the only pilot whose plane he shot at hadn't gone down.

"We'll see once we land, remind me to ask them what happened." He said earning a quick confirmation from Mitchell.

"Their starting to stall." Said Joe as he started to turn the plane back towards the Yaks only to be followed by the rest of the squadron.

"Call your targets, I'll provide cover!" Michael ordered right as he began to level off above the planes. He could see the Yaks start to turn around and fall back towards the ground. Pravda had put their pilots through training and they did have minor experience in their planes, but they still weren't a match for the boys.

"Yak far left." Called Joe.

"Yak far right." Said Douglas.

"Yak center!" Yelled Mitchell.

They quickly closed the distance as the Yaks started to recover letting their 50s rip through the air. Only seconds after the three planes could be seen hurtling towards the ground. The pilots all ejected and made it out thankfully, it seemed as if there wouldn't be a single casualty. A very rare thing in the boys' career but welcomed nonetheless. They quickly pulled back up and began fingertip four at 5,000 feet.

The air was cold and there was a bit of frost on the canopy but nothing of note. When flying in extreme temperatures it could be a problem but with the fact that it was only 20 degrees at speed it was fine.

"Alright!" Mitchell joked happy with the fact that he earned himself a kill.

"This is too easy, I don't like it." Michael said.

"He's right it's like seal clubbing, hopefully the other schools will be better." Joe exclaimed agreeing with Michael, all the pilots had to. It just didn't seem right, there was no sport in this. They did agree however that eventually their opponents would get better and they would need to be ready for this.

"Enemy tanks sighted at grid 0482! One column moving South towards your position." A girl called out on the team frequency causing the boys to roll the planes towards their team's location. It would take a few minutes for them to arrive and if the plan had not been completed they would simply loiter around in the air.

It was at this point that Michael had a sudden realization. He looked around the ground only to see the landscape. The federation spent millions of dollars on these battlefields but for what reason. Just for entertainment, there had to be something more! The thought bounced around in his head for a few seconds before he decided to relax.

According to the plan the scout was to wait for the enemy to get close then get their attention leading them towards a trap. The girls would then encircle their enemy with the boys flying above as escort in case anything showed up. When the enemy tanks were properly encircled the boys would begin their attack runs using bombs and rockets to knock out enemy tanks.

Michael hoped this would work as no plan survives contact with the enemy. Something was bound to go wrong but they didn't know what.

"Kay, this is Sherman 2. We are within 2 miles away from your position. Requesting permission to fire!" The commander asked preparing to throw their plan in action.

"This is Kay, permission granted!"

As soon as this was said the Sherman quickly fired off a round towards the Russian tanks. While the round missed and did nothing it did have its intended effect. Another reason to want the M4A3E8s was the HVSS suspension and stabilizers which would make the tank pretty accurate even while on the move, but this was not important at the time. The enemy crews had seen the Sherman and began turning towards it. The Sherman quickly turned tails and headed towards the designated area.

"Chase that capitalist pig!" Little Katyusha cried still somewhat angry at what the boys had said earlier.

"What if it's a trap?" Nonna asked somewhat hesitant at Katyusha's order.

"Saunders has never set a trap before so let's go!" She ordered, while she did have a point it still didn't help Nonna. She had to follow orders and she continued chasing.

"URA!" The girls all yelled before charging the tank in hopes of catching it.

"We got them hot on our tail, get ready for a Russian tank column!" The commander said as shells were flying around their tank. While the tanks were shooting at them on the move there was still the chance they would be hit.

Within minutes the Russians arrived, and the crew shot around a trench miraculously not being hit.

"Alright Naomi, show us your skill!" Kay ordered before Naomi let one round loose. The shell flew for over 2.5 seconds before hitting its intended target, a T34/85. The white flag quickly popping out of the turret.

"Nice hit!" Kay said as she sat watching the battle unfold in front of them waiting for the proper moment to attack.

The Russians seeing the long-range fire and losing track of the original Sherman quickly took cover in the ditch. They couldn't see out of it without getting out of the tanks, yet Naomi could see all around. Now was the time to spring the trap.

"Alright their pinned. Let's move in!" Kay yelled as her engine roared to life, its 450-horsepower engine piercing the air. Its power quickly allowed it to shoot out of cover and head towards the trapped Russians. As she was quickly followed by the rest of her team they circled the group. This now blocked off any escape for Pravda, the plan was all starting to fall into action.

As Kay got into position she looked up to see the boys flying over them at a relatively low altitude.

"We're here!" Michael said while making a pass over the tanks observing their current situation.

"Great, can you guys provide some air support?" Kay asked as she watched the boys slowly roll over and shoot towards the tanks.

"Anytime anywhere!" Douglas joked before releasing one of the thousand-pound bombs. It quickly fell to the earth before exploding on the Russian group. Along with the other bombs dropped by the boys the explosion could be heard for miles. This quickly knocked out all the T34/76s as they were all clumped next to each other causing the white flags to pop up.

No return fire from the tanks on the ground came, most likely from the fact that the girls were scared if they popped their heads out they would die.

"Блядь, at this rate were going to lose! Unless…how long till the KV-2 arrives?" Katyusha asked aware of the terrible situation they were in. For once the KV-2's slow speed might actually help. It could create a diversion which could save them.

"I just asked, 3 minutes till they arrive." Nonna said.

"Have them wait half a mile away and provide covering fire, were going to make a run for it." Katyusha ordered, her brain going into overdrive trying to save them. She usually was the one ambushing not the one being ambushed.

"Understood!" Nonna yelled.

Within the meanwhile the boys were continuing their attack runs slowly whittling down the numbers. Within minutes Pravda was down to three tanks aside from their KV-2. Katyusha's T-34/76, Nonna's IS-2, and a lone T-34/85, they needed a miracle.

"Hell yeah!" Douglas said as he took out another tank.

"Wait, I think their missing another tank." Mitchell pointed out, his specialty in recon always in the front of his mind.

"He's right, they KV-2 is nowhere to be seen!" Joe said.

"Shit! Ok give me a second." Michael yelled pissed at the fact they hadn't noticed such a simple thing. They were supposed to be provided intel as well as support and they were failing in one of the areas.

"Kay! Their KV-2 is unaccounted for, watch out."

"Wilco"

As soon as he said this a massive explosion sounded out, clearly the KV-2's 130mm gun. Trees could be seen torn to shreds and falling towards the ground near Kay.

"Found it! Someone hit it on the side." Kay yelled as every tank began to turn its turret towards the tank. At the same time Pravda seized the opportunity by shooting out of cover and rushing a gap in the line.

This was short lived as Naomi had kept her watch on the tanks as ordered. She quickly fired off her first shot which planted itself in the back of the IS-2 knocking it out. This caused Katyusha to scream as her vice-commander had been taken out. Naomi simply took her next to shots eliminating the rest of their team except for the KV-2 who was taking potshots at the fast moving Shermans to no avail.

It really was a useless tank, it couldn't hit for shit and got in the way more often than not. But it was Katyusha's favorite tank, she had to have it, but it would often bite them in the ass.

Within seconds one of the Shermans near the back of the encirclement managed to get around the side. It quickly fired a shot into the turret causing the white flag to come out.

"KV-2 Is out!" The commander said causing a cheer from the girls.

"Ok, everyone focus on the two remaining tanks!" Kay ordered causing everyone to begin aiming at the two T34s.

Within seconds all hell was let loose upon Pravda. The hellfire quickly knocked out the two tanks. While they may have been on the move someone was bound to hit. The white flags instantly popped up as the tanks were slammed side to side from the rounds.

"Match over, Saunders wins!" The announcer declared causing everyone from the girls to the stands to lose their minds. They had just beat one of the hardest schools out there. In the back of Michael's mind, he knew there would now be even tougher challenges ahead.

"Hey Major." Joe said.

"Yep."

"What ever happened to those other three Yaks?"

"I have no idea."

"Let's hope their ok then."

"Ghosts you did it, we won!" Kay called over the radio as the boys were flying over the tanks. They hadn't lost a single tank, hopefully this luck would continue.

"Yep, nice job Kay." Michael said.

"Alright Ghosts RTB and meet up at the Jeep."

"Wilco!" They all responded in unison.

After a quick flight and landing back to the airfield they all got out quietly. They had just won but they weren't happy causing confusion from the Russian pilots who were at the airfield.

"You guys just won, shouldn't you be happy?" Natasha asked.

"No offense but it was too easy. There was no sport in it." Michael said causing her to look somewhat understandably offended.

"Well be ready, I heard some of the other schools managed to get some pilots from other schools who have experience. If that doesn't challenge you then I don't know what will." The girl declared causing Michael to start questioning things.

Who had these experienced pilots and how good would they be. He quickly decided to question these things later before making his way to the jeep.

"What was that about Major?" Joe questioned.

"We'll talk later, there's a rumor that I think we should know more about." As soon as he said this the boys' minds started to race. What was this rumor, was it about them or someone else?

The drive over to the girls was relatively quiet save for the cheers they received along the way. All they did in return was wave back and smile, they still didn't feel like it was a good match.

As soon as they arrived in the Saunders section of the arena they were greeted by Kay and the rest of the time.

"Well shit, we owe you boys for this." Kay called.

"So, what will it be?" Questioned Naomi somewhat enthusiastic for a change about this.

"How about practicing every day and winning the finals!" Michael joked causing the boys to all throw their hands up in excitement.

"Alright then, this year Shensha-Do is being taken seriously within respect of course." Kay declared causing a minor groan from the room to which the boys could only laugh. The girls had it so easy and yet they were complaining about practice. They were lucky, and the boys would whip them into an effective machine.

They quickly looked over and saw the BM-13 coming towards them once more. It arrived within seconds only to have Katyusha and Nonna get out and repeat their entire routine once more. Although this time Katyusha walked up and held her hand out to Kay to which she shook it.

"You did very well to beat the mighty Katyusha!" Katyusha beamed although somewhat upset at their loss.

"Thank you, you did very well considering your situation." Kay responded still happy at the win.

"Hey what ever happened to your other 3 Yaks?" Michael called out causing her to look over.

"They crashed upon take off, terrible pilots!" Katyusha said in complete distaste.

"Oh, sorry to hear, hope their ok." Kay interrupted causing attention to focus on her once more.

"Well we must get going, bye!" She called before walking back to the BM-13 followed by Nonna who had not said a single word the entire time.

"Bye!" Everyone said in unison before returning to whatever they were doing before.

"Well what are we gonna do now?" Douglas questioned.

"I don't know about you guys but I want to have some fun!" Joe declared before taking out his gun.

"We going to shoot off each other's heads?" Mitchell asked.

"Hell Yeah!" He said enthusiastically.

"We probably shouldn't do this but whatever. Let's have some fun!" Michael chastised before taking off to find something to put on their heads.

After only a few seconds he saw a basket of apples and decided to take them back.

"Look what I found!"

"Old fashioned as hell, I like it!" Mitchell joked before turning around and walking towards the woods. They would need to do this in secret or else they could be expelled. It was already pretty illegal to have their guns on them in Japan but they didn't care. People were attacking each other in tanks and shooting down planes, if they got mad at someone with a gun they were being retarded.

After only a few minutes of walking they came out to a field in between two sets of woods and began.

"Alright Joe, stand 20 feet away and then we'll slowly increase out to 150." Michael ordered before Joe took off till he got to his position placing an apple on his head.

"Better hope I don't miss, or your head is gone!" Michael joked somewhat scaring Joe, while they had done this countless times before there was still the chance of messing up and somebody dying.

He raised his pistol before squeezing off one shot. It flew through the hair before impacting with the apple causing it to fly off his head and explode in one movement. Right as the apple came off Joe shot down to the ground laughing like a mad man. Although to be playing this game you really had to be a madman.

"Nice shot man, thanks for not killing me." Joe joked.

"Anytime." He responded.

The shooting continued for at least 10 minutes before they decided they'd gambled their lives enough for one day. They started telling old jokes about planes, the one subject they all understood well.

"So, there's these two-people talking ok. The first person asks, 'What's the purpose of the propeller?' the second one response with 'To keep the pilot' cool, 'I don't think so' says the first one only for the second to say, 'If you don't think so, just stop it and watch him sweat!'"

While this joke was old it was still classic, and the boys couldn't help but laugh. It was moments like these that made their dangerous lives just a bit nicer.

After a quick walk back to the Saunders area they found Kay and walked up to her.

"Hey where have you guys been?" She questioned.

"Just messing around!" Joe joked.

"Just messing around?" Kay asked somewhat curious as to what the boys had been doing.

"So, Kay, you never told us who is our next opponent?" Michael questioned clearly trying to change the topic causing Kay to have a look of minor suspicion.

"Our next opponent will be tough, but I think you guys can pull through. Oh and by the way I made a few changes to the order we put in. I added a Sherman Calliope and 4 Sherman Jumbos. They should be very helpful to our effort." She responded still wondering as to what they had been doing. That last part flew over most of the boys' heads seeing as they were wondering who they'd have to face. Only Douglas noticed it but decided to say nothing still curious about the topic at hand.

"Well who is it though, St. Gloriana, Anzio, or possibly Kuromorimine." He said still trying to get her to fess up the next opponent.

"Our next opponent will be Oorai!"

"Shiiittt."

* * *

That's it, again sorry for the shortness of the battle but I will make up for it. I would love if someone wanted to tell me a few maneuvers or stats based on a plane that is going to be in the story. I try to include you guys as much as possible, so help is always appreciated.

I have also had an idea for something I have been wanting to write. _Haifuri,_ or better known as _High School Fleet_ is sort of like GUP but with ships. So far we have World of Tanks and World of Warships. Just don't give them any ideas for a World of Warplanes.

Well my idea is to follow a submarine crew that takes place during the final episodes, but it will be different compared to the other ones you have seen. How? That's for you to find out but I will start writing it when this gets anywhere between chapter 10-15 unless there is demand for something else.

!If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please leave a review and have a good day!


	6. Chapter 6

Here's Chapter 6, hope you guys will enjoy it and sorry for the delay in chapters. The next few chapters will be coming out a little slowly considering Crew Season has just started and I'm going to be in Texas for a college program.

As always, I do not own _Girls_ _Und_ _Panzer_

Chapter 6

"Wake up ladies!" Michael yelled before running into the room. To his surprise no one was there. They would never get up early unless absolutely having to because of PT so why start now. That was until he heard the tell-tale noise of the hammer on the M1911 being cocked.

He quickly turned around only to see the 3 boys with guns directly towards his head.

"Shit." He muttered causing them to laugh before returning to a serious face.

"Your going to do something fun today!" Joe joked before taking a step closer, while Michael knew they wouldn't shoot and he had his gun next to him he didn't want to take a chance.

"Well then, what is it?" He questioned scared of what he would have to do.

You're going to run the next 5 miles for the morning singing full cadence while wearing only boxers." Douglas said causing Michael's face to go to one of complete embarrassment.

"Fine but I'm having your heads for this got that!" He yelled before changing and throwing on the boxers and turning towards the door. It was cold outside considering how early it was and that they were somewhat north during fall.

"We're going to follow you on the jeep, you'll be running past the school before entering the tanks sheds and running back here." Mitchell explained which caused Michael to slightly cringe knowing he would be running by the sheds by the time the girls would come to practice.

He quickly ran out and started running hoping he could finish the run early. He was quickly caught up by the Jeep and they told him to start singing.

 _F-16 roaring down the strip_

 _Air Force jockey on a one-way trip_

 _Mission: Top Secret; Destination: Unknown_

 _Don't even know if he's ever coming home_

 _Scorching the ground at the speed of sound_

 _Droppin' that napalm all around_

 _Rippin' through the sky at Mach 2.2_

 _Afterburner, I'm counting on you_

 _If that bogie screws with me_

 _He's gonna rejoin his infantry_

 _America counts upon our crew_

 _Friendly skies are the Air Force blue_

He said this while running at a pace so fast the boys started telling him to slow down worrying that he might hurt himself. He didn't listen though, he finished one song and moved onto the next never slowing down. They could see he was determined to finish this as quickly as possible.

"You don't have to sing." Joe called out causing Michael to stop mid-song before taking a big breath and speeding up all the while being followed by the Jeep.

After only 18 minutes he had made the first three miles and was getting ready to pass by the sheds. No one had seen them, or at least he thought so because no one had been seen outside. He was moving at a faster pace than expected so hopefully none of the girls would be out yet.

The Jeep kept up behind him the entire time and they had all been laughing at what their Major had to do. They all knew though that he would put them through hell for this, what it was they would do was secret however.

Michael was running past the doors of the hanger as he looked over and saw three girls standing next to a chart. It was Kay, Naomi, and Alisa; he prayed they didn't look over. But of course, like a movie cliché they did, staring right at him. All their faces turning as red as a tomato seeing him run around in nothing but boxers.

"Fuck! I'm going to kill you guys!" He yelled as he sprinted around the corner beginning to make his way home.

The boys had died at the sight of the girls knowing Michael was embarrassed like hell. The girls hadn't said a thing still shocked at what they saw until Kay finally spoke up.

"What the hell was that?" Kay exclaimed.

"Don't know but let's ask later." Naomi said before they all nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Michael had made the short distance back to the house within record time. Luckily no one else had been out on the streets as it was still before 0600 so he was safe. As soon as he entered the dorm he shot inside and closed the door, it was even more risky considering the girls' dorm was attached to theirs. God had smiled upon him for this run he thought to himself.

He knew he would have some explaining to do later. Although he wanted to avoid it for as long as possible, so he showered, threw on his jumpsuit, and headed out. The other boys had collected themselves and were sitting on the jeep waiting for him. They needed to eat something so they drove to breakfast where each of them ate some pancakes before driving towards the airfield, the entire time not a word being said.

Joe quickly got on his phone and made a call asking the ground crew to get the planes ready to go. They agreed to do so and the boys quickly arrived to their planes on the airfield ready to go with Kay and the other girls not in sight thankfully.

They all ran into the hangar before grabbing their equipment. Again, not a word was said the entire time. The boys were on their way out to the planes before suddenly stopping in their tracks.

"Hey, why were you running in your boxers?" Kay questioned causing to turn around followed by the boys.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath before considering what to say.

"It was for a bet." Joe shot in helping Michael out. Partly because he felt bad and partly because he wanted to be on his good side during their punishment.

"Oh, well don't do things like that. Someone less accepting could have seen, ok." She responded somewhat annoyed at the bet while also blushing at the same time.

"Understood!" The boys said before snapping off a salute to which she returned.

"So, what are you guys going to do?" She asked as she saw them ready to fly with their planes outside.

"We're just going to fly around for an hour or so and check out the place. We really haven't had a chance to go sightseeing considering how busy we've been." Michael said which calmed a few of the boys down knowing that their punishment would come later.

"Ok well let me know when you land. There's something we need to talk about regarding the tanks." She said before the boys nodded and they returned to getting into their planes.

"Ok, everyone run through a quick check!" Michael ordered.

"Flaps check, aileron check, engine check, rudder check, elevator check, stabilizers check!" Michael called out before everyone else began doing the same.

"Alright Ghosts, permission to take off as you please!" He said as they were attached to the catapult by the crew. They really needed to find a way to repay the girls of Saunders Airlift division.

They were each given the signal to take off and did so launching from the catapult quickly increasing their speed. It was a thrill to take off and one that they hoped would continue later through life.

After only a few minutes they were all up at 10,000 feet flying around before getting into formation.

"Alright Comms Check." Michael called out.

"Ghost 1 ready to rock!"

"Ghost 2 here"

"Ghost 3 reading you loud and clear."

"Ok then, were just going to fly around the carrier and I have a little mission for y'all." Michael declared causing the boys to get nervous, this could be their punishment.

"We're going to buzz the girls' dorms. I want everyone to go low and loud understood!" He ordered.

"Wilco, is this our punishment?" Joe responded.

"This is just the beginning!" He declared causing them all to die inside, if this was just the tip of the iceberg then they were screwed.

They quickly pitched over into a 45-degree dive, full throttle roaring towards the ground. After quickly arriving at 570 mph they leveled off at around 100 ft before passing over the girls' dorms. If any of them weren't awake they were now, they were sure that was loud as hell.

"Alright pull up and let's get the fuck out of here before anyone notices!" Michael ordered before pulling up and shooting away from the dorms AFAP. They managed to get out of sight pretty quickly but didn't look back to see if anything had actually happened. They didn't notice anyone outside when they dove but at such high speeds, they could have easily missed someone.

"Alright we're just going to take a tour of the carrier completely now, slow down to 300 and stay at 5,000 feet." He said before slowing down and taking a look over the ocean. The carrier was massive and beautiful, but the ocean, that was a new thing entirely. The shimmering seas brought a minor tear to his eye, oh how he wished he could be in them, surfing every day.

They didn't say a word the entire time. While they had seen the sun rise before they still couldn't get over the beauty when it rose over the ocean. They were in love and nothing could ruin it for them.

They continued to fly around for an hour looking over the seas and carrier before starting to head in for landing. Not a word being said but actions being understood by the shaking of wings or hand signals. They were still somewhat awestruck at the beauty of this place, Saunders could afford so much that it was almost overwhelming.

"Ok well that was amazing, now let's head in for a landing." Michael said over the radio before slowing down and preparing for landing. He was quickly copied by the other boys as they slowed their planes down. The jet engines were not the most responsive on the P-80 so everything had to be pre-planned.

Michael was the first to hit the ground his tired screeching as he put on the brakes trying to slow down. Thank God that the landing gears were strong enough to take the punishment or bad things would happen. They had all seen footage of a planes gears falling out from it and it crashing into the ground. Worst case scenario there was contact with a gas tank of some kind or a fire with a resulting explosion killing the pilot.

They all knew what they were doing and quickly landed before pulling into the hangar with the help of the ground crew. A ladder was rolled up to the boys' planes and they all walked out with their helmet in hand. While their hair was a bit messed up they each had a hat they put on to cover for it.

The cockpits were somewhat cramped and they all stretched as they got out even though they had tried to make it nicer by adding cushions in the seats. One would see this and think it was a normal plane but the old metal ones were a pain in the ass, literally.

Michael quickly shot Kay a text as soon as he hung his helmet up letting her know that they were done. When she had mentioned something about the tanks it caused Michael to become a little nervous, was something wrong, would they not get the tanks? So many questions with so little time to act school was to start in 4 days and they had a week before their next match.

"Major what do you think will happen if they find out it was us who buzzed them?" Joe questioned somewhat worried at the chance they could receive punishment not just from Michael, but also from the girls.

"Not sure but let's just not talk about it and hope everything went well. Oh and I almost forgot, if anything happens you're all taking responsibility and I'm fine." Michael proclaimed somewhat happy as this couldn't hurt him. The boys simply nodded with frowning faces knowing that they would have to take the full brunt of the punishment.

Michael then looked back at his phone and saw that Kay had asked them to meet at the main strategic room for their tanks.

"Alright everyone in the Jeep we're Oscar Mike!" Michael declared before they all got into the jeep. One advantage of being a pilot was that they could wear their jumpsuit. They were a lot more comfortable then a school uniform and this was cherished.

"Major is there a problem with the tanks?" Douglas asked inquisitively.

"Not sure we'll find out later."

"So, what's our plan for the next week?" Mitchell questioned.

"We're going to talk with Kay and finish whatever is needed for the day. Tomorrow we're going to practice maneuvers and shooting as well as spend a few hours in the simulator. We'll have a bit of free time near the end of the day to do whatever we want to do. After that the tanks will arrive and we'll try and help the girls get settled in. Douglas I want you working on integration with the new tanks and our planes. If anything goes wrong during a match it's your fault. Understood!" Michael explained before putting some minor pressure on Douglas.

"Wilco!" Douglas responded snapping off a salute only to be returned by Michael.

"We're also going to spend some time going through every single episode of the show _Dogfights_ seeing as it is extremely relevant to us." He continued with everyone nodding in agreement. Learn from the mistakes and successes of the past so that the future could be better secured.

After only a few minutes of driving they arrived at their destination. They quickly walked into the massive building and walked over to Kay. When they opened the door they were greeted with the sight of Kay sitting down. She had a computer in front of her with papers around her desk including a chart of the different US tanks during WW2.

They noticed a few things circled on the chart but couldn't exactly tell what it was. This was before Kay greeted them and they all took their respective seats around her. The room was nice in decor and always smelled like flowers, probably something to do with air freshener.

"Ok, now that your here we need to talk about a few things. First off, the tanks couldn't all be ordered or we'd be waiting a year so I made a few changes to the list. I want to let you guys know so we can prepare." Kay announced causing the boys to get scared, she still needed work on being a tactician and wasn't the best commander.

"What changes have you made and how long will it take for the tanks to get here?" Douglas questioned taking the initiative before Michael, he was in charge of everything ground related for the pilots.

"I've decided to add one Sherman T34 Calliope, two M36B1 Shermans, 4 M4A3E2 Jumbos, I've kept the 4 Hellcats, the original amount of M4A3E8s has been changed to 8. So what do you think?" She stated causing the boys to wonder what she said, they had a basic understanding of these tanks but nothing to large.

"We're not entirely sure what these tanks are so can you please walk us through this." Michael asked still trying to figure out this new line up, hopefully she had made a good decision on the tanks.

"Well let's start from the beginning. The Calliope has an armament of 60 4.5-inch rockets, it has a typical statistics of an M4 Sherman including a 75mm gun with a minorly slower speed. The M36B1 has a standard M4A3 Sherman hull with a 90mm T29 turret so it will be minorly slower but have a much bigger gun. The Jumbo has 101mm of armor in the front so it can bounce 88s with relative ease including 152 mm of armor all around the turret. It has the normal 76mm gun with a slower speed since it can only go 22 mph. The Easy 8s will have the HVSS suspension, an M1A2 gun attached so it can now pierce most things we will go up against. The armor remains the same as the original M4A3 with increased speed so overall it is a good tank. You already know the stats for the Hellcat so we can get going." Kay explained the boys taking it all in as quickly as their minds could process it.

She showed them pictures of the tanks as well as the information of the tanks using a software program. It would show all the stats of the tank as well as its armor value with an option to choose different guns like the 88 or 76mm. The program would then show where the gun could pierce on the tank using certain types of ammunition and considering the crews almost always HVAP ammunition.

These new tanks were amazing and they couldn't wait to see them in action but there was also the problem of being attacked from the air. The boys wouldn't always be there to help so the girls needed to learn how to defend themselves.

"Well Kay, were clearly impressed and we can't wait to see these tanks in action. We do however need to work on your air defense, eventually this is going to be a problem for everyone when you guys get bombed." Michael pointed out causing her to smile at the compliment before it turned to a frown when she realized he was right about the air defense.

"So what do you think we should do to practice this?" She questioned trying to formulate a plan about how to defend themselves.

"I think we should have everyone get on their 50 cals and practice shooting at clay pigeons." Douglas pitched in causing the attention to turn on him.

"Those are so small though and are meant for being shot with a shotgun." Kay said causing Michael to wonder what his idea was.

"Well a plane is going to be going faster so we should have everyone work on a slower target. The size will compensate for the speed and with good practice we can have a strong defense." Douglas pointed out causing everyone to agree with his observation.

"Nice, now that that's resolved what do we do about the crews. They're going to be given new tanks so which groups should we assign to tanks or should we just redo them? Naomi and Alisa don't know about this but I doubt the former will want to switch tanks." Kay said causing Michael to think about this new problem that had arisen.

"I think you've figured out the chemistry of your tanks pretty well so we'll leave the crews the same and simply transfer them over to their assigned tank. I have an idea for us to test out the crews by giving them a test I will design. They will be given a series of questions about problems and see what their response is. Couple this with the statistics from their overall crew and we can have a general idea of what to do." Michael explained before everyone nodded and then Kay stood up.

"Well that settles it, I'm going to gather everyone after lunch which is starting in 20 minutes. I need you to have your questions ready by then as well so we can get started. Douglas I want you to print out the statistics of the tanks so we can help match them and Mitchell you'll get the crew statistics. Joe you're going to type everything they say so we can be ready for later. After we interview the crews were going to come back here and arrange everyone into their tanks, understood?" Kay ordered with vigor causing the boys to be surprised at her order considering she had a usually laid-back attitude. Things were finally starting to change for the better on the Saunders Shensha-Do team.

"Yes ma'am!" They all yelled in unison before snapping off a salute which she returned with determination on her face. They then all walked out of the building and over to the jeep. They quickly turned on the ignition with Mitchell driving as usual, he was the best driver so the decision about who would be the chauffeur was unanimous.

The drive only took 5 minutes seeing as everything school related was pretty close together. They hadn't had the need to head out of the campus besides runs so they still didn't know too much about the carrier.

They stopped off in front of the mess hall before walking inside. The smell of food instantly drew the boys to the buffet line. They all were hungry and took an insane amount of food before sitting down at an empty table. Kay took her time eating and so did the other boys but Michael quickly finished before moving onto his questions. What should he write he thought to himself, these would be important so they all had to make sense.

It then hit him, the questions he would ask would be simple but they would show everything about the person.

He then took out a pencil and began writing on a piece of paper.

Question 1: What way would you describe yourself when given a problem?

Question 2: What do you prefer, speed, armor, or a big gun?

Question 3: Are you willing to take risks?

Question 4: An enemy is ahead of you in an open field, what do you do?

Question 5: Do you prefer camouflage or do you want the enemy to see you?

Question 6: Are you calm under fire?

Question 7: Do you question orders or blindly follow them?

Question 8: How many confirmed kills do you have in a tank?

Question 9: How accurate is your tank?

Question 10: Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the team?

These would be the questions asked, they may not seem like much but from the answers they could decide which tank to command.

"Here you go Kay." Michael said before handing her the paper.

"Thanks! I trust these questions will be enough." She responded not even taking the time to look at it before putting it in her bag. She then sent a text to the team telling them to be at the tank sheds within 20 minutes. After this they ate all of their food without saying a word and continued onto the sheds.

"How are we going to decide who gets the Calliope. You know considering its completely different from anything else we have." Kay pointed out before entering the sheds.

"I'll think about it." Douglas said before they walked to the front of the room.

Kay quickly walked up onto a platform getting everyone's attention before talking.

"Hello, we need everyone to fill out a short questionnaire in a moment so can everyone please take a seat at the desks. Any questions specifically will be asked after everyone is finished." Kay said as Douglas made copies of the questionnaire before passing them out around the room.

They all watched as the girls quickly went over them answering every question and within only a few minutes, it was done. The girls then all handed their papers up to the front of the room where Kay put them inside of a folder which she handed to Douglas.

"Any questions?" Kay asked.

"Yes, today when I was walking by the sheds I noticed some of the tanks were being offloaded onto a plane. Is something happening?" A taller, brown-haired girl asked. Kay knew she had to give an answer but did she want to ruin the surprise. They had an idea for them to all see the tanks in two days and for everything except for 2 trainers to be sold the night before. But considering the cost of the newly added tanks they had to sell a few early.

"We needed a few parts for the tanks which weren't in stock on the carrier and required skilled workers. It was easier simply to fly them off to get them repaired compared to having everything fly here." Michael chipped in causing everyone to nod in agreement before the room went silent again. No further questions were asked so Kay dismissed them all and everyone went on their own ways.

"Kay do we have anything to do today?" Michael questioned trying to plan out their day now that the most important things were done.

"No not really, you guys can do whatever you want for the rest of the day." She explained before turning around and walking out the door. She really wasn't the most formal person but whatever they now had the rest of the day free to themselves.

"Well now that were free I want everyone to head to the pool, everyone will be swimming for the next 3 hours. Whoever gets the longest distance can leave, the shortest distance will have repercussions." Michael said causing everyone to groan but they couldn't argue. They all quickly got into their respective seats in the jeep and headed towards the pool. They already had clothes stored in the locker room there so there was no need to head back to the dorm.

After they got to the pool and changed Michael was the first to get in. He had a timer on his phone set to all they needed to do was swim for the next few hours. And swim they did, each person easily getting over 10,000 yards considering their fitness. Mitchell was the swimmer of the group and won the competition with over 1,000 yards, then came Michael, Joe, and finally Douglas.

As they all discussed their scores Douglas cursed now scared of what his punishment would be.

"Alright 50 up-downs and you're done." Michael ordered causing Joe to shoot to the ground. He was tired from the swim but still completed them, a testament of their strength. This however was not enough as soon after completing this Joe fell on the ground and laid there. Everyone laughed when they saw this and they all managed to get Joe up before taking him to the locker room.

The pool was Olympic sized but was rarely visited except for one or two girls but today there was no one. It was nice but a lot of changes were made to the school when the boys joined in. New rooms were constructed for privacy, not that the boys would do anything, but it didn't hurt to make sure.

After changing back into clothes they got up and got onto the Jeep before driving home. They were all tired and needed to rest. And rest they did after arriving at their dorm. They all quickly changed before eating a snack and sitting down in front of the TV.

They turned it on to see the news, nothing really that important was happening. The world was still dealing with problems, terrorists in the Middle East, poverty in Africa, crime in the United States. All these terrible things had become daily life for everyone, you could live on the other side of the world and would know about something terrible happening.

If this were to happen a few decades before people would freak out at the fact that the civilian population of a country would be targeted with the intent of only to kill people. Everyone now got on with it hoping they wouldn't be next but things were always going to happen when left up to fate.

There was still hope that the world would get better one day and that their generation would be the one to do it. Hopefully this was true but only with hard work and dedication.

After looking at the news they started watching different shows, flicking through the channels. After finding something to watch they decided to relax and no one talked as everyone was invested in their show.

This was a relief, all the hard work and here comes this moment of relaxation but they all knew it wouldn't last. Eventually they would have to get up and fly into the wild blue yonder once more.

That's it for chapter 6, I hope you guys liked the new line up. Thanks for to NewtypeAuthor346 for the help with the tanks. Make sure to check out his page and stories, there really good and captivating. If there is anything you want to know please don't hesitate to ask.

I'm starting a new story; its first chapter should be out by tomorrow afternoon. It's going to follow a group of boys in a different version of Shensha-Do. While this has planes it will have infantry however they will not be in the same matches. The infantry will be equipped with modern weapons and will take place on the Saunders Carrier so there will be interaction. This infantry oriented version will be in a lot more detail as I have a greater knowledge of the weapons being used today compared to WW2.

You guys are the reason I keep making these so reviews are appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey and welcome back to chapter 7. Hope you like this new chapter and expect more within the coming days! I'm starting to get better and wish to give a thank you to those who wished for better health. Enjoy!

I do not own _Girls Und Panzer_

Chapter 7

"Rise and shine bitches!" Michael yelled as he ran into the room once more prompting everyone to shoot up out of bed. They were all tired from the past few days seeing as it had been constant flying and training. However today was the first day they could relax, the girls were getting their new tanks.

"Everyone is up and accounted for." Joe called out as everyone was standing at attention in their skimmies. Today would be starting off with a run like usual yet they would simply stop and eat instead of continuing. They had been told this the previous night and were grateful but they knew Michael would have them make up for it later. It wasn't very early being at 0700, sleeping in was a rare comfort, and the sun was up providing air over the cool night.

Within the next few minutes everyone was running around changing and cleaning themselves up. Their PT uniform was basically an exact copy of the Air Force's uniform with changes in the insignias. They were comfortable and helped keep them cool which was a relief.

"Alright I want everyone to run to the mess hall where we will eat. After that I want everyone to head to the tank sheds where we will meet with Kay about the new tanks. There is a scheduled meeting at 0900, obviously attendance is mandatory and we will be helping in whatever ways were needed." Michael explained before they all nodded and took off running.

The run was relatively quick causing them to make time pretty nicely. Michael's mind was not on the run however, it was stuck on whether or not they had made the proper decisions about who was to take the separate tanks. He had taken time with Kay and Naomi to properly plot everything out as well as work with basic strategies.

The addition of the Calliope and heavy tanks had heavily changed their strategies and would continue to do so throughout the season.

How they would react to the change was obviously important as there could be any number of events that could happen. They could be angry that their old tanks were sold without their permission even though they weren't in charge of anything. But with the way Kay ruled over them it wouldn't surprise them considering the lee way they were given.

She had been tightening up on practice attendance which made him happy, perhaps he could get some more rules installed relating to training. He would have to argue his case once again but he was confident if this next match went well he could get what he wanted.

That was another thing that worried him, Oorai. He had been told that they were a very dangerous opponent and while their tanks didn't seem very dangerous their planes did. The Kawanishi N1K was relatively fast with its speed getting close to 408 mph at 20,000ft. It could compete in maneuverability with some of the late war fighters such as the P-51 and F4U.

Its 4 20mm cannons would outmatch their 50s with a gun convergence of 656ft. It had a lower service ceiling than their jets and could only carry 2 551 lb. bombs. While these would be enough to knock out their tanks they would rely on their ground forces to get the job done.

Once again the match next to solely rely on tactics considering that each plane was a master of one opposite trait. Higher speed typically meant lower maneuverability and with the slow response time of a jet engine it would be against their best interests to be in a dogfight.

The tanks would be different this time. He saw the match last year and thought he had a plan of how to combat them. They seemed to rush into things, although he wasn't sure if this was due to the commander or the crews. It had been a year since the match and he hadn't had the time to watch the Oorai match against a small unknown school in which they utterly destroyed them.

When he met the commander, Miho Nishizumi, she didn't seem like a person who demanded absolute perfection like her sister. Yet she seemed as if she was more relaxed yet calculated. Now while no one knew about their new tanks he would want to continue keeping them secret.

No one would be allowed to talk about it to anyone not on a need to know basis. He had heard about a girl from Oorai, Yukari, who had spied on the school to relay information back to their school. He would not let this happen again, he was used to people spying at their old school considering the lax rules.

He knew if he caught anybody then there would be a punishment. What it was he wasn't really sure about that but he would think of something.

Eventually he gave up on thinking about everything and moved on with his life. The run was over and he could relax for now he got a chance to indulge in the Saunders breakfast. It still blew the boys away how good the food was there, honestly it wouldn't surprise him if he stayed that way for the rest of his life.

He was thankful for this and knew the other boys were too but, like the Saunders Airlift, wanted to repay them somehow. Like many other things how to do this avoided him, for the moment. He knew he should focus on the season and anything relaxing should be done at the end of the year.

"Hey Major, since we pushed the speed of the run can we take our time eating?" Douglas questioned breaking Michael out of his trance like state. He noticed how they were all sweating and out of breath. In his thoughts he had not noticed how much faster he went compared to usual. It was like a runner's high which they had all experienced before.

It was one thing they had always told people when asking why they ran. Besides the obvious reasons of the physical exercise and health the runner's high was something they all looked forward to. While it was typically encountered in longer distances they could partake in the feeling if they pushed themselves every day.

They did from time to time rest but this was usually viewed as a waste of time as rest would be a shorter, slower run. Sometimes Michael wondered why the boys agreed to do everything while putting up minimal resistance.

He never heard them overly complain but he wouldn't be surprised if they did. They were human after all although he knew they did want to secure themselves a future and this would help.

"Sure! Like I said today will be an easy day so everyone should relax." He said before walking inside to get food. Once again it smelled wonderful and the boys rushed to get what they could before people started showing up in droves. A sight not uncommon in a school as large as Saunders.

They all loaded up on food, they could with no worries seeing as they wouldn't be overly working out. Within seconds of them sitting down they saw people arriving. Like a horde of zombies marching forward, they crowded into the mess hall. Soon it turned into a mass of people yelling and pushing for food. It was honestly a cluster fuck but not many things could be done about it.

Eventually they ate everything they had on their plates and cleaned everything up. Seeing as they had been there for a while no one really questioned what they were doing anymore. They had met most of the people at the school by this point and were well known from their Pravda match.

Now while the boys did like attention it wasn't the most important thing in their life. They lived to fly and being on the ground wasn't the best. They all wished they could spend their life flying, the adrenaline rush from nailing the throttle into WEP felt amazing. The plane's engines roaring as they pulled or pushed the pilot through the air at high speeds.

"Alright everybody, let's get moving." Michael called out as they all left the mess hall. They then began heading towards the tank sheds where they knew Kay was there. She was getting up earlier than usual seeing as this meeting was typically right as she was waking up but this was important.

The walk was quiet the entire way until they arrived at the sheds. Upon this they could see every shed empty through the windows save for one that looked like it was packed full of equipment. This, Michael thought, had to be the new tanks.

"Hey, over here!" Kay called as the boys all turned before snapping into attention. While they were still friends with her she was their highest-ranking commanding officer. They would only salute Michael regardless of the other pilots rank to which he always returned it. They tried to run things as military as possible while still enjoying the perks of civilian life.

"At ease!" She called after returning a salute. She was dressed in her usual uniform, why the shorts were so, well, short evaded Michael. Typically, in America if there was some dress uniform then things would typically have to be closer to the knees than anything. But for all he knew, he wasn't complaining, and neither were the other pilots.

"Kay, now where do you need us to go?" Michael asked trying to figure out exactly what they were needed for.

"Well I need you to walk in and look at the tanks for one. After that I want everyone inside on a computer at the desks where you will be reading out the assigned crews. Is this ok?" She explained before the pilots all nodded.

She brought them in and their eyes all widened at the sight. In front of them was every tank they had gotten from the Easy 8's to the Calliope. Of which the Calliope's rockets looked amazing as there was one stacked up next to the tank. Now while the boys were used to the rockets on their planes this was different.

What this would do to a tank upon impact would be amazing seeing as their rockets instantly knocked them out no matter where they hit. How accurate they were though we prove to be problem because as the boys knew the numbers never told the full truth. It would require a field test, and this would make the boys extremely happy.

Once again Michael wondered what the girls would think but he was now more optimistic than ever.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Joe said as he placed his hand on the side of the tank. It's hard-American steel giving him a feeling of ecstasy as he looked it over.

"She's amazing!" Kay called out as she pointed them in the direction of the tables where they saw the computers they were to hand assignments out from.

"Hey, do you here that?" Mitchell asked as a noise could be heard from outside. The talking of many voices pierced the air and Kay knew that was her cue to head outside.

"Places everyone, let's make this as efficient as possible." Kay ordered as she ran outside through the door. The boys taking their places at the tables ready to give out assignments.

"Alright girls, thanks for being on time. Now I have a little surprise for you which might come as well, a surprise. I want everyone to head towards the desks at the back of the hangar where you will be given orders by our lovely pilots." She ordered as she opened the hangar door causing all the girls to gasp.

New tanks! A flurry of emotions came over the group as they all ran in towards the back of the room eager to look these tanks over. They saw everything from Shermans to Hellcats. Heavy tanks to tank destroyers, a massive change in their arsenal.

Within seconds the girls were lined up at the different desks. They noticed one for commanders, one for loaders, one for gunners, and one for drivers and radio operators. Each manned by one of the boys to which Mitchell was in charge of the last making him have the most amount of work.

The next few minutes was full of shrieks and happy faces as people were assigned their positions. Nobody seemed too upset and they all looked happy at their assignments. Although one girl stuck in his mind, the Calliope commander. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as she heard what she would be doing.

"Oh my God! Thank you so much, I won't let you down!" She yelled as she excitedly jumped up and down.

"Don't mention it. You're going to be extremely important so I'm going to have you train a little more than everyone else. Understood?" He responded as she snapped off a salute and ran to the tank. They were beginning to be respected as superiors considering their rank. Hopefully the way they created a plan during the Pravda match had helped their credibility.

Within minutes everyone was at their assigned positions by their tanks standing in order depending on their position when Kay called them to attention.

"Alright! I want everyone to get in their tanks and head out to the range. Naomi will walk through helping you guys get used to your new higher caliber guns. I will be in one of the Easy 8's and Alisa will be doing the same. So, let's get going!" She ordered as they all ran into their tanks before starting the engines.

The air being pierced with the noise of the massive tanks beginning to roll out of the sheds in order. While they were not the best team they were fairly organized and got out of the sheds within minutes.

"Ok everyone can now commence firing except for the Calliope! We're going to assign numbers tonight at dinner, so everyone will sit together at the largest table possible." Kay barked these orders at every gun started firing throwing HVAP down range. Splashes of dirt with the occasional hit showed the teams accuracy. It needed work but that was what Naomi was for.

The entire time the pilots were watching this spectacle of fire in front of them. The noise was noticeably louder than before, but this was due to the fact of the size of the new guns. The 76mm and 90mm were louder than the 75mm from before and much, much stronger.

"Hey, we need to go help the Calliope crew learn to fire." Joe suggested before taking off towards the tank which had been sitting still the entire time.

"Didn't Kay tell them not to fire?" Mitchell questioned to which Joe immediately turned back knowing he didn't want to break a superior officer's orders.

"To hell with her orders! This shits gonna to be awesome!" Michael yelled as he started walking towards the Calliope.

He knew it wouldn't be the nicest thing to disobey orders but what could she do. It's not like she would have them court martialed or anything.

"Hey it's me again!" Michael said as he jumped onto the top of the tank talking to the commander. She had short red hair and wore the standard US tanker uniform. The girl immediately shot up and saluted once more before bringing up the orders given from Kay to which Michael simply nodded.

"We were given permission to start testing this baby." He said as she began to get out of the tank with the gunner and loader.

They nodded before the gunner and commander got back into the tank. The loader simply went over to behind the rockets and checked over them.

"So, you just got this tank. Do you guys know how to use it?" Douglas questioned.

"There was a manual inside, so, we just read that. We know we have to make sure all the wires are attached properly then pull a trigger system we have inside. The gunner has it next to them, so she'll simply pull it and off go the rockets. She'll pull it once more to stop it, but I don't think we'll be firing only a few of our rockets at a time." The loader responded before hopping back in the tank with all her preparations done.

She seemed to be pretty smart if she could understand a manual about a firing system she had most likely never dealt with.

Within seconds they had closed the hatch and the boys had their hands over their ears. It would have been smart to wear some hearing protection considering they would be right next to the rockets.

Soon the rockets began firing off with a roar causing the boys to all shout with glee. The noise wasn't what was making them happy but the sight of the rockets shooting out of their barrels and impacting down the range.

The girls from the different tanks shot up and looked over at this new noise causing them to stop firing. Kay saw this and while she knew she had ordered them to not fire she saw the boys over with them. She figured that they must have given the order to fire as most of her girls wouldn't disobey her word without provocation.

"This is fuckin amazing!" Joe called out causing all the boys to let out one cheer. The rockets fired one at a time in close intervals and eventually there weren't any rockets left causing the girls to get back out of their tanks. Everyone else resumed firing and target practice as Naomi was running through their ranks.

The loader than hopped back out and approached Douglas.

"Well we don't have any more ammo with us. I only got a decent look so how did it look?" She asked him to which he immediately responded.

"Great! Accuracy seemed better than I would have thought, and it fired off pretty quickly although I'm not sure what you'll do when you run out of ammo."

"Cool! So, anything else regarding the tank we can figure out later. By the way I know your name, but I don't think you know mine. I'm Ingrid!" She said before extending her hand out to which he simply returned the favor. She had short blonde hair in a French braid, she was extremely white and was of clear Scandinavian descent.

"Well it's great to meet you! Say I have a stupid question. Would you mind maybe staying after dinner and we could work with the tank? I think it would be a good idea to learn about how this works." He questioned out of no-where causing her to mentally jump back but she accepted.

Even though she was the loader she figured he needed someone to load it while he figured out the aiming systems aside from other reasons. Nothing was ever said in the manual about firing arcs, so it would be important to learn these before their next match.

So many variables would have to be calculated which would be the gunners job but since she wouldn't be loading very often she could help. The better their tank worked the better for the team considering they would play a big part in strategy.

The Calliope simply turned around and started driving back towards the tank shed. While it did have a 75mm main gun this was not the focal point of their practice. There gunner was the second best shot on the team and she had more pressing matters to worry about now.

The pilots simply followed them with Douglas and Ingrid talking the entire time. Michael stayed behind before heading to Kay's tank. He noticed how Douglas looked at Ingrid and vice-versa. Even though it was there first time meeting he was pretty sure things might get a little serious between the two.

He knew this might be a distraction, but they were a part of life and he couldn't control everything. He had a girlfriend before he left and while she rarely did get in the way Michael did think about her when he was flying. What would she think, say, or do if he were to die? No one had ever gone a season without someone dying and he prayed to God they wouldn't lose anyone this year.

Who would it be though? He wouldn't be surprised if the next match had injuries. While a 50-caliber bullet would kill upon impact it could graze them and leave them injured. Now a 20mm was a different story seeing as that would kill them no matter what and almost all of their opponents would be using these or something of a larger caliber.

He put these questions behind him as knocked on the side of their turret after they fired. The thought behind this was that they had just fired so the tank would be quieter as they are loading, and she would hear him knocking as the hatch was closed. Surely enough she heard him and popped out of the hatch before looking around to find the source of the noise.

She only saw Michael as he was standing there still in his PT uniform. He simply looked at her before opening his mouth to speak.

"Sorry about disobeying orders about the Calliope but they did pretty well and are now heading back to the sheds. My pilots are there with them so I'm the only one left. Is there anything you need help with?" He said before she seemed to go into deep thought.

What it was about alluded Michael, was it about a punishment or work. He wished he could read people's minds but don't we all. Now Kay took a while before coming up with an answer.

"Actually yes, there is! I want you guys to go from tank to tank and go over a few topics regarding their new tanks. We can only teach them so much and I'm hoping you guys can give some helpful insight even though you are pilots."

"No problem although I don't think Douglas will be able to help as he's a bit busy with the Calliope." This caused him to smirk as he knew what might happen to which Kay was clearly unaware.

"Ok well were going to continue practice firing for the next hour so you have plenty of time. Just try to go over a few minor things with the commander such as keeping calm, tactics, and proper orders."

"What do you mean proper orders?" He questioned somewhat unsure of what she meant.

"Well some of our commanders like to just charge in head first without thinking about things logically. I guess it's kind of the same as tactics but that's not important." She explained.

Michael got a minor kick out of her talking about charging in head first. Those tactics were often used by her and now she was lecturing others about it. She was getting better but there was still a lot of improvement left for her.

With these new orders he took off to the tank next to hers, Alisa's Easy 8. He knew she was stubborn and wasn't the biggest fan of the boys. Yet she had warmed up minorly and would hopefully take tips, even if from a pilot.

He knocked on the side of her turret after she fired. Within a second, she popped her head out of the cupola and looked around finding Michael next to her. Her face changed to one of minor annoyance which didn't surprise him at all.

"Hey! Kay told me to help the commanders with a few things." He said to which she scowled at him. Why would a pilot be helping her, a tank commander? She knew everything there was to know, at least in her mind that was how it was.

"I don't need help with anything! Ok?" She said at him before starting to close the turret hatch.

"Look you just tend to get a bit scared and lose your mind when things start going wrong. This is a problem and it needs to be fixed if we're going to win this season."

"Number 1, I don't lose my cool! Number 2, everything went perfect last match, so nothing will happen in the next one." She tried lecturing him to which he simply frowned. Internally he was pissed at her arrogance, people like her were a major reason armies failed.

"Look not everything is going to go perfect every match. We got lucky that they fell for such a basic trap. Now we all need to work on things so take this as constructive criticism. Try to stay calm and take deep breaths when things don't go your way. Do this and you'll have a great year and might even be promoted to commander once Kay leaves!" She decided to give him a little attention and simply nodded before popping back down into her tank and commencing to fire once more.

Hopefully she had taken at least some of the words to heart. He then went around to the different tanks giving advice. Some of the commanders listened with open ears while some could clearly be seen not giving a fuck about him. None though were as outgoing as Alisa which was a relief to him.

It was kind of annoying because while Kay had asked for the rest of the pilots to go with him he wasn't going to bother them with something this meaningless. Although he still did need to come up with a punishment for what they had done to him. Nothing major had been done yet and he didn't know what to do. Whatever they were to do the idea would soon come to him.

Eventually after about an hour he had finished and everyone he decided he would head to the tank sheds to see where everyone was. The girls had finished firing for the day and were heading inside, presumably to work on something, but what, he didn't know.

He did know there would be a match in 2 days which caused him some minor concern. The girls would have to learn these new tanks quick but with proper practice he knew it was possible. Now while he knew the boys didn't have anything to do today tomorrow would be spent flying. He had an idea for another practice match, so they could get something in. Dogfight training would be helpful but somewhat hard considering they were in jets.

Upon arriving at main shed he saw all the tanks nicely parked once more. Obviously, the tanks were faster than him walking but he could definitely tell which were parked last considering the speeds. The Jumbos were slow compared to the Hellcats but that was there point. Heavy tanks versus light tank destroyers, they served to completely different purposes, but they complimented each other nicely.

One could spot and take out targets with precision while the other would be a slow-moving bullet sponge. This did represent a massive change from Saunders original lineup where they had the most basic of Shermans. Everything was average from the gun to the armor. Nothing stood out except for numbers and the crews were decent at best.

Training had made them better which was nice but there was still a lot of room for improvement. He had seen some today and most of the crews were definitely trying. A few of the lazier crews had been cut as there weren't enough tanks to go around now and everyone would have a set position. He hoped that some wargames could help the commanders with strategy. He could just do a live fire test which would give the best simulation of a battle they could get.

Whatever the plan was though Kay had the final say with the team being hers and all. While she did have to answer to the school and federation, both of which seemed pretty relaxed, she was basically in charge of everything tank related. That was one other thing that troubled Michael. Whose dumbass idea had it been to make a sport where teenagers fight each other with death being the common result.

He could understand the girls with their carbon-fiber protection and all but them flying. Now that was starting to push it, but he knew that if he made it through a few years of it then the Air Force would be all over him. The test pilot program was definitely something he wanted to do. Imagine that, getting to fly the newest planes before everyone else. Sure, it was dangerous, but it couldn't be any worse than what they did now.

Besides he would get paid, something that was illegal as flying was considered a high-school sport. He could argue with someone about it but it wouldn't matter. He would simply be replaced with someone who would fly so just try to take advantage of it while it lasted. Besides, he loved flying and knew the rest of the pilots did too.

"Hey Major!" Michael turned around to the sight of Mitchell walking towards him. None of the other pilots could be seen but he was more focused on Mitchell who seemed to have something in his mind.

"Hey Mitchell! Where's everyone else?"

"I know Douglas went with that loader chick from the Calliope and I think Joe just went back to the dorm."

"Good for Douglas although why did Joe head back?"

"Probably to change or relax, not sure. I do know that these clothes are sweaty and starting to smell so a shower wouldn't be half bad."

"A shower and it's not even lunch yet, funny."

"Well we do need it and lunch started an hour ago so were technically late."

"Good point. So, should we head over to lunch?"

"Sure!"

"Hey guys!" Kay said as she ran towards them, her hands were somewhat darkened from the dirt on the tanks, but this was of little concern.

"Hey Kay!" They said in unison before snapping off a salute to which she returned the formality.

"Were about to head to lunch. Care to join us?" Michael asked, he was starting to spend more time around Kay and they knew quite a lot about each other's past.

"Will do, besides I have some stuff I want to talk to you about. Care if Naomi and Alisa join us?"

"Of course not!" Michael responded, Naomi he thought was pretty nice at times and smart, but Alisa just seemed to be an ass.

"Mitchell that reminds me, Naomi wanted to talk to you about something." Kay said. At the mention of this Mitchell looked visibly confused. While he had talked with her on quite a few occasions he wasn't entirely sure what she would talk to him about. Usually if she had a question it would be directed towards Michael, so he guessed it might be something off topic.

Whatever the reason he was sure to find out later. Maybe it was a question about spotting, but he wondered why she would ask him that considering her job as a long-range shooter. It took him a bit before he came back to that last realization. Obviously, she would need to spot targets considering she would be looking at distance compared to everyone else.

His train of though was interrupted as they began walking towards lunch. It was only a few minutes away although he wasn't sure why they didn't use the jeep. In fact, they hadn't used it since the match against Pravda which made him question where it was.

He thought to himself he would find it but that would have to be later as they soon arrived at the mess hall. It smelled of something different meats and he knew what he would be eating today.

The same went for Michael as he thought about the honey baked ham sandwich they would have. They walked in to enjoy the meal that awaited them. After this quick break it would be back to work. Preparation for the match against Oorai was now their number one priority and they would begin preparing tonight. For now, though they could enjoy their break for it would only last a brief few minutes.

That's it for this chapter, hoped you liked it! I tried doing something new by splitting the day into two chapters. I'll be posting much more now and I'll be rotating in between my two stories.

!As always reviews are appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Michael what do you think we should do for the rest of this day?" Kay asked in between bites of the sandwich she was eating, clear enjoyment shown in her face.

"Well I know we should probably begin planning for the match tonight. I would like my guys to go on a little run and your girls should probably go out and practice some more." He put down the honey baked ham sandwich and looked her directly in the eye before clearly going into thought.

"Ok well since I'm in charge here I think we should have the girls go out and just work on maneuvers with the tanks like driving around and shit, you know? Other than that, your guys are free to do what you want."

An expression of annoyance began to wash over Michael's face, he brushed his hair out of the way before opening his mouth to speak.

"Kay, you forgot about planning for the match tonight. It would be good to get a little head start and we don't need to take a few hours to do so."

"Fine." She pouted, she wanted to enjoy something today and put the planning off, Michael wouldn't let that happen.

"Ok well lets finish this, do you think you could try and get all your girls back into their tanks and begin maneuvers. I want you to have your crews go for a little 2-mile run." While Michael couldn't give orders, he could give suggestions which Kay almost always accepted.

"You know they won't like that! They'll probably just run out of sight and begin walking or waiting anyways." She looked at him with a look of 'I know them more than you'. Michael simply chuckled as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Trust me, they'll be running the entire time." His chuckle turned more into a maniacal laugh and Kay shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was a bit worried about what his plan entailed but decided not to ask as he took the last bite and stood up.

"Hey Joe, change of plans get everyone geared up!" Michael was instantly on his phone as he walked outside the massive mess hall.

"Yes Sir!" He quickly responded not questioning the orders before hanging up. Michael then picked up his pace to more of a fast walk as he headed back to get suited up. Everyone would be back in their planes, today would still be relaxing but he wanted to have a little fun.

Within minutes he got to his room and changed into his jumpsuit. As soon as he left his room he saw the rest of the pilots. Each of them with their signature jumpsuit and a grin on their face. Even though they did want to relax they all were glad to be in the air, it was where they belonged.

They had caught the flying bug long ago and like it does with most, it stuck with them. In the air when you weren't in combat, they all felt like they were at peace. It was almost as if you could feel the world itself. It was funny how there was a fine line between the nice casual flying and the combat they usually had. You could be enjoying your day one moment and then within a second you could turn into a fireball of death.

Michael still worried about casualties and how long it would be before they encountered them. With such a small squadron of only 4 they needed everyone they could get. The loss of one member would severely cripple the team and they would have to re-plan everything around that singular problem.

As far as he had heard no one had encountered any this season although that would change soon, he was sure of it. The planes they flew were a lot safer though then the ones back in the States due to the heavy Japanese regulation. He did feel a little jealousy of the girls who had next to if not any risk whatsoever to their lives.

There was something that came with being on the edge of life and death that they enjoyed. Whether it was the adrenaline or any other mix of chemicals in his body he wasn't sure, but he would continue to try and exploit it.

"So Major what are we doing today?" Douglas asked, almost no tone could be seen in his voice.

"Well the girls are going for a run and Kay doesn't think that they'll actually do anything. We're going to change that, whether she likes it or not!" Michael emphasized the last few words of that sentence. He wanted this team to be in a high physical condition and while it didn't matter in the tanks it would look better to outsiders. He wanted the team to be presentable and keeping everyone in decent shape was part of that. The pilots needed to be in good shape to handle the G's, turns, and other maneuvers as well as the quick reaction times.

By the end of this season he wanted a squadron of the best pilots possible, hell if he could keep this all the way to the air force he'd be happy. Each of them wanted to fly either the F-22s or F-35s and this was their opportunity to give themselves an advantage. While they most likely wouldn't end up in the same squadron they could still meet every so often and enjoy each other's company.

Michael had already made a call to the ground crew and they had the P-80s all ready to go. All they needed was the pilots and they could begin to takeoff, after a few safety checks of course.

"Hey, Mitchell, what ya looking at?" Joe questioned as he looked at his friend.

"Just the clouds, looks like there's a storm in the distance." And there was, just off to the horizon a large patch of gray clouds was approaching. They would have a few hours before it got anywhere close.

"Funny, I don't remember anything like that on the forecast." Michael said as he scratched his head.

"Either way I don't think it'll cause any problems sir." Joe replied as the pilot's eyes all gazed over the carrier and into the serene ocean.

"You're right, it won't and besides some bad weather flying will be good for you guys."

"Your completely Goddamned right it will be!" Douglas joked as everyone began to laugh. They would only fly through it for a little and stay on the outside, while getting struck by lightning wasn't deadly it could cause damage. Now that was something they wanted to avoid just days away from a fight.

"So Major…" Joe said with a questioning tone which instantly hit Michael's ears. They were only 30 seconds away from the airfield and he wanted to be in the air quickly.

"Are you ever, by chance gonna pop the question?"

"The question?"

"Don't play dumb sir, you know what I mean."

"Joe, what happens between us is none of your business." Michael instantly got defensive which caused the boys to laugh, much to his chagrin.

"Roger that sir!" He responded in a rather lazy manner which caused everyone to chuckle slightly. Michael wasn't exactly happy about this but there wasn't really anything he could do.

They quickly took a turn as Michael let out a breath of relaxation, they probably wouldn't be asking these kinds of questions in the air.

As soon as they turned into the airfield and parked right outside the hangar they were met by one of the girls in charge of maintenance.

"Major! All birds are out on the airfield and ready to go. Ammo has been changed to tracers as you asked!" She was rather pretty with a nice pale face and rather silver hair. He made a point to try and memorize her name just in case things went south with you know who.

"Thank you, Technical Sergeant!" The girl had been switched over to a military rank to try and stay with the overall military type form of the pilots.

"Just doing my job sir!" She put on a happy smile which made him smile in return. The rest of the pilots saw this and murmured to each other, she really did seem beautiful.

"Well then let's get these birds up in the air!" Michael shouted as he spun his hands in a circular motion, kind of like a helicopter's blades.

There was a shout of excitement in the room as each of the pilots grabbed any last-minute gear like the oxygen masks before jumping into the cockpits.

As soon as each of them sat down they began to check the basics of their planes once more. The technical sergeant walked up to him and began to look over his plane as he began to touch the stick.

"Rudder, check. Ailerons, check. Elevators, check. Flaps, check." He ran through his basic checklist as he ignited the engine after she checked behind him to make sure no one was in the way.

It would be a terrible thing if someone were to be burned by the exhaust or sucked in by the intake. They would almost surely die or be severely injured and that could lead to lawsuits, or something worse. She gave him a thumb up as she left him to go back to work on something else.

They quickly were moved out into the strip behind them. A smile on each of their faces as their engines began to increase thrust. They enjoyed the power of the jet engine and it was something that would stay with them for life.

Michael was the first one to go and he lined himself up appropriately before attaching to the catapult, something that he still found unnecessary.

He saw one of the girls next to him as he began to increase power on his engines according to her hand signals. He felt the engines beginning to strain as he pushed the throttle forward, fire could be seen. Within a second she leaned over towards the deck and the catapult launched him forward.

He was pressed into his seat, all of his analog and digital equipment quickly changing in numbers to keep up. Michael's body was pushed into the hard seat of his P-80 as he began to pull back on the stick, the airplane rising in the air as it flew off.

The next few minutes were filled with the rest of the planes shooting into the air before getting into formation.

"All Ghosts, this is Ghost Actual check in." He called over the radio, he wanted to make sure everything was working properly before they started. At the same time he shifted into a more comfortable position in his seat, he enjoyed the jumpsuit.

"Ghost 1 ready!"

"Ghost 2 ready to rock n' roll!"

"Ghost 3 here!"

"Alright Ghosts, let's climb to 1,000 ft in formation." As soon as Michael said this he began pulling back on the stick, the plane pitching up and beginning its climb. Each pilot following him as they altimeter began spinning up until it hit that magic number before they leveled off.

"Beautiful day isn't it!" Joe said as he looked over into Michael's cockpit. He then gazed down at the nice coloration of the squadron emblem and the shark teeth on the nose. The .50 M3 nozzles sticking poking through making it seem like an actual nose. The recon camo the planes carried made it look even more beautiful against the blue and white backdrop.

"Yes, it is!" Douglas replied, a happy tone the only thing in his voice.

Michael quickly did something no one expected him to do, especially when this close to other planes. He rolled the plan over and flew inverted for a few seconds before flipping back, not a single word said.

"Damn Major, don't get too fancy!" Mitchell joked as everyone began to laugh, Michael's only response was a thumb up.

"Ghosts I see our target!" He called as the pilots all began to look around frantically. What target?

"The girls just started their run, we're going to buzz them until they finish."

"Are you sure sir?" Douglas responded, worry in his voice for once.

"Ya like what if Kay gets pissed?" Mitchell backed up.

"Don't worry I'll take the flack, this is going to be hilarious!" Michael wanted to have some fun and well, the girls would run faster.

"Yes sir!" Joe replied, knowing that questioning orders probably wasn't the best idea.

"Now that's what I wanted to here! I want everyone to begin buzzing their heads, 100 ft above every 30 seconds and I want it done fast." Now while this was overall for fun they would get some practice out of it. Short, quick dives before pulling up and returning to a designated altitude was what boom and zoom tactics were all about.

Michael was the first to head in as he began to increase the throttle, the engine soon increasing thrust to meet up with his demand. He felt the plane speed up as he went in at a 45-degree angle, his stomach churned a little before he felt a minor rush of adrenaline.

500, 550, 600! The speedometer read before he quickly pulled back on the stick. The G-forces pushing on his body as he began to climb at a high rate. All of the girls on the ground could hear the planes but didn't really pay much attention. They, like most people had grown used to the sound of the jets.

It wasn't until he got right over their heads, only 100ft above that they all looked up. They still continued to lazily jog though and this only annoyed Michael even more.

"Ghost 1, this is Ghost Actual, buzz them at 50 ft!" He ordered as Joe began to pitch down right before them, at this level they would feel the air shift as he began to pull up.

"Roger that Ghost Actual!" Joe said as he started to push the throttle to 100%, the thrust slowly increasing with it. The jet engines were slower to react than a normal prop but still weren't slow by any means, just a second if that delay.

This time when he pitched up Michael saw exactly what he predicted, the girls began to move off the path or run faster as the air whipped the ground.

"Kay, this is Ghost Actual tell your girls to stay on the path!" Michael said as he changed channels to the handheld radio Kay should've had with her.

"Ghost Actual, no problem although I think only three of the girls have a radio."

"Don't worry they're all together." He chuckled with that last sentence as he changed frequencies back to the flight channel. This time Douglas and Mitchell began to make their runs and the girls got the message, they wouldn't be leaving until they finished the run.

Soon the girls began to increase their speed as they all wanted not to have to deal with the pilots. Soon they finished their run and while they were out of breath they all looked up to the pilots with mixed expressions.

Kay simply stood there with a smile on her face and a slight laugh. She did see the boys make a few low passes for the last leg of the run but that was it. She owed Michael for the plan, maybe they could do something like this every day. Either way she would need to figure out a long-term solution soon.

"Hey Michael, thanks!" She called through the radio from her place on the ground. She was looking up at the sky, the forest was around her aside from the sheds and tank related courses.

"Just doing my job!" He replied as they began to buzz the girls once more, Michael going inverted one last time and wave from inside the cockpit causing everyone to cheer.

He enjoyed making everyone have fun, made him feel good. So that little maneuver which made the blood rush to his head was worth it. He knew that they'd been up for around an hour as they began to climb once more. The storm was still a while away and they would have a little less than an hour.

The girls would practice no matter what, they we're in tanks and Kay wanted them to get used to the mud being a factor.

"Guys, everyone follow me, we're heading into the storm." Michael ordered as the planes began to pitch and turn towards the gray mass of clouds. No one complained as they did so and they began to settle a few miles per hour above their cruise speed. They had enough fuel to head there and spend a bit of time loitering around before going into land.

"Looks kind of ominous, doesn't she?" Mitchell said as his eyes gazed into the choppy seas below him. The wind picking up and beginning to howl as they got ever closer.

"You said it brother!" Douglas responded, you could just make out a little fear in his voice. Flying into a storm was typically frowned upon by most pilots although it was necessary to use one for training or on a mission occasionally.

No one would make jokes about going down though, it was bad luck and in the Pacific that was the last thing you needed. The storm could drown you, dehydration could set in, or worst of all, sharks. The fear of all downed airmen and sailors alike was to be eaten or bit by a shark.

"Alright boys one minute out, get ready for some turbulence!" Michael said as they began to close in, their planes starting to slightly shutter. The smooth rides of the jet began to disappear and soon rain started to patter the aluminum fuselage.

Everyone started to feel just a little nervous, they could see the lighting strikes in the distance as they began to enter the storm. Their hearts beginning to beat faster and faster every time they felt the plane shudder.

Their altimeter read 10,000 feet, Michael wanted them in the storm. They could just fly over it considering the service ceiling of their P-80s.

"Major, I remember this one time when I was flying a Dauntless over in Australia and we came up on this one storm. We were going to use it as cover, so we weren't spotted and let me tell you. That was one of the bumpiest rides I've ever had, my gunner got soaked. After we dropped our bombs we went through the same storm again and my gunner was pissed." Douglas explained as everyone was laughing.

As they flew through the storm each of them was telling stories from the Pacific to the skies over Germany. They had been through a lot, each of them had experienced something that the other hadn't. If you took a good look at each the pilots you could see that they complemented each other.

"You know I once knew this guy, shot down 10 times within 20 matches but he never quit. He was a great pilot, good kills, but just had the worst luck. Funny thing was he never died, didn't make any sense why." Michael said as he chuckled at this memory.

"Well if I ever meet him then I'm buying!" Joe joked as a laugh once more filled the comm.

"Major I'm starting to push it on fuel, I would like to recommend we turn back." Mitchell said as his eye poked onto the black surface in front of him.

"Alright ghosts, turn back and climb to 40,000 ft, let's try to get above this storm." Michael ordered as each of the pilots began to pitch up, the elevators quickly reacting.

Within the next 5 minutes the planes began to climb up to their altitude before the pilots leveled off. They were now above the storm and could relax a bit, the air up here was thin and cold. -50F to be exact so if anything went wrong and the pilots had to eject they would probably freeze. It wasn't like they were wearing any major temperature type gear, they had a jumpsuit and helmet.

"So much nicer, right ghosts?" Joe asked as the felt themselves cruising through the thin air.

"You got that right!" Michael, a jubilant tone clearly heard.

The clouds below them were like a blanket which covered all with small cracks in between. The sky up here was bright and the prettiest blue you could ever imagine.

Within a few minutes of flying they were back over the carrier, the massive ship looking rather small.

"Alright everyone lets head in!" Michael ordered as the planes began to pitch and circle their way down until they got just next to the carrier. Soon they began to line up on approach, the ground crew helping lead them into the hangar as soon as they landed.

The sun was reflecting off the bright aluminum on bottom sides of the fuselage, the dark green colors above making it seem like just part of the ground. Such was the purpose of the basic camouflage, it worked though and that's what mattered.

Michael felt like landing was a two-sided thing, he hated the fact that he was done with flying and couldn't join the air. On the other side though he understood that he was now safer, he wouldn't have to worry about anything failing on the planes and potentially hurting somebody.

As soon as the canopy popped open and he began walking down the attached loft ladder. The ground crew were running around him, checking to make sure that equipment was secure among other things.

Each of the pilots walked down their ladders before beginning to take off their equipment and place it to the side on the racks. Above their heads was the American flag, still spotless as ever. They could feel the hard ground below them, the concrete coated over the dirt.

Within seconds of the pilots leaving their planes the girls began messing with them. One girl was removing the ammo while another was re-fueling, both of them with different patches showing their respective jobs.

None of them seemed to complain as they all moved around with such efficiency and prosocial. If you saw these girls from a bird's eye view it would seem like an intricate dance, and at the head of It all was that technical sergeant.

After talking to a few of the crews she walked towards the pilots with a small smile on her face, her beautiful features once again in the pilots' eyes.

"Major, all your planes appear to be in good condition. We'll run one more check in detail but other than that you guys are good to go!" While she wasn't in charge of telling the pilots what they could do. They cared about the condition so if something was wrong they would stay to see it fixed.

"Thank you technical sergeant." Michael said as they all turned and walked out of the hangar, still in their jumpsuits.

"So Major, what's next?" Joe asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice. There as an abundance of things to do but what would they start on?

"Well first things first were going to head back to the dorm and change. After than we can just chill unless the girls need something."

"Cool!"

"We also need to do something like a gift for those maintenance girls." Michael pointed out, he had thought about it before but now he wanted to act on it.

"Any ideas?" Douglas spoke with a genuine interest. Nothing would ever run without them and no matter what happened they were necessary. It was the least they could do for such an integral member.

"We could try taking them out to dinner or buy them something." Mitchell said. Although he wasn't looking at the other pilots his attention was focused in on them, something the recon specialist was pretty good at.

"Maybe although people might think it's a date." Douglas pointed out, his mind trying to find ideas.

"I have an idea! Let's surprise them with a massive ass party!" Joe burst uncontrollably causing everyone to laugh at his enthusiasm.

"You know that's actually not that bad of an idea." Michael said as he began to ponder the thought of the party. Where would it be, what would they do, when would they do it? All these questions which would probably be answered later. Michael knew he should probably put that off until after the matches.

"Dude that Calliope is awesome as fuck!" Douglas joked as the tell-tale sign of rockets was heard in the distance. The girls had probably finished maneuvers and begun more firing exercises.

The Calliope would be extremely useful as a mobile artillery piece that, if one of the rockets hit, could beat almost anything it came up against. It was also something of a phycological weapon. The sound of the rockets could scare one into hiding, it gave them a particular advantage that others just didn't have.

"I can't wait to see that thing in action." Mitchell said with a smile on his face, knowing the surprise that would come to the girls of Oorai when hell rained upon them.

They continued walking down the paved roads of the school ship until they finally arrived at their dorms. People were walking around, doing their normal routine as school was soon starting.

"Alright guys! Everyone at the conference room 2000, understood?" Michael ordered as he looked at the three other pilots.

"Yes sir!" Each of them yelled with a salute before being dismissed, each of them then going on to spend their time doing one relaxing thing or another. They had a few hours to relax and would take advantage of that as much as possible.

* * *

 **2000 Conference Room**

"Alright guys, our match is being held at a new arena, just created a week ago!" Kay announced as she began typing furiously on her computer, the room inhabited by only the pilots and three girls.

Within seconds she was on the official Shensha-Do website and pulled up pictures of this new arena. It was massive and was even weirder, a swamp.

"The hell?" Alisa burst out as she looked at the pictures of the swamp, the pilots simply looked at it then laughed. It was a carbon copy of the stereotypical swamp found in the South, each of them had been there so it would be fine.

"Alright guys, we've all had matches over areas like this. You know the drill, standard formation. Let's see if we can get Oorai to prematurely attack us with its pilots." Michael said as Kay began printing out a few photos of the arena.

"So how are we going to use the tanks?" Naomi asked as she took one of the photos, her eyes carefully examining the terrain.

"Well I think we could try and maybe create a spearhead formation with our heavies in front. Our hellcats could be used as scouts like last time and Naomi could try and get a viewpoint." Kay said as she began to take little miniature cut outs of each of the tanks and place them on the table.

"When do we get an entire map of the arena?" Michael questioned as he looked at the pictures in front of him. Concern filled his face as he tried to think of plans with such basic geographical knowledge.

"I'm not entirely sure although I think It'll be tomorrow." Kay responded as she brushed her long, blond hair aside from her face. Michael looked at her for a few seconds, his mind mesmerized yet she seemed not to notice it.

Everyone else in the room did though and Michael felt his cheeks turn red and he quickly look down at the floor. The other girls simply keeping quiet along with a few chuckles from the boys.

Michael knew he should pop her the question soon although he wasn't entirely sure when. Maybe after the match, who knows?

"What about the Calliope?" Douglas asked as his hands began shifting through the pages, a tone of seriousness mixed with excitement behind. He wanted to see that thing in action, everyone did and no one could express that single feeling enough.

"I think we should do what we discussed earlier and keep it in the back, it's basically a mobile artillery piece." Joe said, possible scenarios and plans racing through his mind as he rubbed his tanned chin.

"He's right, if we can get it to give us some support that would be amazing." Michael jotted in as he began to think of the rockets raining down from the heavens.

"What if the enemy stumble upon it or Oorai hunts it down?" Mitchell posed the question that hadn't really been on anyone's mind. He made a good point and this worried everyone in the room, if they had enemies behind them then things would go downhill quickly.

"We could position two tanks as a rear guard with it, kind of like our last match." Alisa spoke for the first time in the room causing everyone too stare at her with curiosity in their eyes.

"That's great!" Kay yelled as she threw her arms around Alisa and gave her one hell of a hug.

"Don't ya wish that could be you Major." Joe mumbled causing Michael to turn around, his eyes furious and jealous at the same time. Joe immediately stopped talking when he saw this and decided for the better, that he shouldn't be making comments like that again.

"We'll need to finish planning tomorrow cause I'm starting to doze off." Kay announced as she began to rub her eyes.

"It's not exactly late though!" Michael pointed out as everyone in the room started to laugh hysterically.

"Look we can finish this tomorrow, besides we'll have more info and all that jazz." She said as she began to walk towards the dorms, Naomi and Alisa following behind.

"Fine, alright guys! Everyone get a good night's sleep, tomorrows gonna be a kick in the ass!" Michael announced as everyone began to laugh once again before walking off into the calm, cool, night.

* * *

There ya go guys! I hope you liked it and trust me there will be more coming! To everyone finishing up school, good luck with exams! If there is anything you want me to add in the story just PM me or leave a review, they're always appreciated!

 **I do not own Girls Und Panzer**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Reveille!"

That was the only word they heard seconds before a bugle went off. Each of them shot up and regardless of what they were wearing ran outside the door before coming to a salute. None of them expected reveille to be a part of their morning at Saunders. It didn't matter as nothing could replace years of habit in the US. Only 100 yds away the stars and stripes were being raised along with the Japanese flag.

Today was to be an exciting day for the boys. Some new equipment had been worked on, a few modifications made, and a new way to train their bodies for the challenges of jet-powered flight. Only one of them truly knew what was to come. A brown-haired boy whose dark brown eyes were covered by gold-rimmed 3025 Ray-Ban Aviators which only emphasized his jumpsuit. If one didn't notice the slight changes in the hairstyle they could mistake him for Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Now while he was no F-15 ace he was something of relative equivalence and skill.

As soon as that bugle ended he hopped into action. In front of him were three shirtless boys. Joe, Douglas, and Mitchell who were only half in their jumpsuits, much to the pleasure of a few nearby girls. All of these boys were aces in their right through different aircraft and while they did have a good grasp on their new fighter, they were nowhere near truly being able to claim mastery. Michael knew that if they truly wanted to win this season they couldn't rely on just having a higher mean of general experience. Having a truly 'modernized' ground force wouldn't be enough either, they needed everyone to be at their best. Girls and Boys to be able to put their life on the line with no fear.

That was his job, while the girls were starting to become an effective force the boys had already mastered this general sense. Their new fighter was one of undeniable speed, firepower, and most of all, G-forces. Their jumpsuits, specialized helmets, and overall physical fitness only did so well for them, they needed more specialized training. That was why when Michael first spoke they were all beyond surprised.

"Alright, guys we have a new plan for today. Just got some info last night so our entire training regimen will be changed."

As the second in command, Joe was naturally the first person to wonder what their news was.

"Major…care to share?" There was a slight chuckle among the boys as Michael brushed back his hair using his hand. A grin as wide as the United States itself went from the corners of his face. Whatever he was about to say was gonna be important and they all eagerly awaited his answer.

"We've been invited by the USAF down to Kadena AFB, Okinawa for advanced training!" A cheer went around the boys as they all heard the news. It wouldn't matter if they had a funeral to attend, an invitation by the Air Force meant immediate attention. It also felt good to know that people back home were caring for them and setting them up with such opportunities. Mitchell did remember about their previous plans and how such a change could interrupt another's practice.

"One slight problem…we're not we gonna originally have a mock battle today?" Michael scratched his head as if thinking for a few seconds before giving an answer.

"Yea, but when the Air Force invites you for training you don't say no…besides I sent Kay a text about it last night." Everyone nodded their heads in silence. This silence awkwardly continued for the next 20 or so seconds before Michael broke it once again.

"Well, that means you guys need to eat and get suited up! It's 0630 and we're not wasting time." Like a deer stuck in headlights, they didn't react even then. That only took a little while before Michael pushed Joe into the dorm, they all ran around at Mach 10. He didn't understand what the hell was taking them so long but he didn't like it.

Michael looked into their little 'luxurious estate' and walked over towards the TV on the couch. It only took a few seconds before he turned it on. In front of him was a woman, most likely a reporter, she seemed to be freaking out over a small fire in the field behind. The headline read: The Shensha-Do Death in the Newest Age of Extreme Sports! Michael didn't know what was going on but he was instantly intrigued. The reporter went on with her narration, Michael eyeing her every bit of the way.

"In a recent training exercise between the Russo-Japanese themed school of Pravda and the Russian Air Force the lead school pilot was killed. An air to air missile was fired from beyond sight and hit the girl's plane killing her instantly. Names are not yet to be released pending next of kin." Michael was astonished and although he had a bit of skepticism he wondered who exactly had killed the boy he had faced not too long ago. He did know one thing though, Natasha was dead and while they did fly on opposite teams it was sad to see a potential friend die. Michael turned his head back towards the rooms before calling the attention of the boys, he didn't care what they were doing they needed to see this now.

"Ghosts get your asses over here…now!" Once again at the high speed of Mach 10, the boys sprinted out of their rooms. Mitchell and Douglas were both ready to go, Joe, on the other hand, was not. While he wasn't shirtless, he could be seen with a toothbrush in hand and mouth, foaming at the teeth. Michael simply turned around and as if reading his mind, the boys all looked at the TV. Another few seconds of silence were continued before the reporter went on again.

"We have just received information that the missile was possibly a Meteor BVRAAM. Now that stands for active radar beyond visual range air to air missile. There is no confirmation from any high-ranking officials, just some talk among the Russian pilots. Now that missile is of European origin and not a single one is found in the Russian inventory. Whoever used it had the intent to kill and you can expect an investigation to take place in the coming days. I'm Ichika Takanawa reporting from Chuguyevka Air Base, stay with us for more."

The other three all had looks of confusion. All they knew was that someone had died to a possible European missile. Michael knew that he'd better let them in on the full story.

"Y'all remember Natasha…right?" A chorus of nods was the only thing returned as they all pressed their brains to get the mental image of the girl. "She's the dead girl…they were in a training exercise with the Russian Air Force and I have a little suspicion."

"You don't think the Russians would kill one of their own people!" Joe was the first to speak as he had the pure look of shock painted across his face. Not just at what Michael may have been referring too but also the death of a girl they decently knew.

"Hell no! I think that even though their team was out for the season someone decided to hamper their efforts for next year. Now I don't have any idea of who that could be but I don't think another country was into it. How these persons got that missile…I don't know but I do know one thing for sure, we will be attending if a funeral is held!" The three boys momentarily pieced themselves together before snapping to attention.

"Sir yes, sir!" Their salute was held strong and Michael returned it with dignity. He was proud that they felt this way, his boys were willing to take time out of their life to go respect a dead person that they weren't on a personal relationship with. He could only imagine how the girls of Pravda were reacting during these troubling times. He'd have to get in contact with them as soon as possible. While he wasn't sure how he'd do it, he knew that it'd be done asap.

"Alright then, has everyone eaten something?" A chorus of nods once again took the room. Joe still had the toothbrush in hand and although it hadn't dropped toothpaste yet, it was about to. With a look of approval from Michael, he took off back into the bathroom. It only took him another minute before he came back out ready to rock and roll. The room was still solemnly dead quiet as everyone contemplated the recent events. Walking out the building in the same mood they continued on towards the hangar.

Michael had already told the ground crews about their expected excursion so, as far as he knew, the planes were ready to take off. A quick text to Kay in hopes that she was awake would reassure him of an earlier question. He was hoping that she would have Katyusha or Nonna's number and although there was no instant reply he was sure it'd be soon.

Douglas was the first to break the silence, much to the relief of the others.

"So, what exactly are we doing at the AFB?" His question was meaningful and while Michael didn't know everything that was planned he could fill him in on some important information.

"Well I know we're gonna be doing G training and push our planes to the breaking point. So, don't be surprised if you go unconscious today but I know they know we have our match against Oorai so we shouldn't do anything to physically demanding. Today though will be a day in which you will truly get a new sense of expertise in our P-80s." A cheer went around as the boy's spirits instantly lifted once again. It'd be impossible to overstate how much the boys wanted this type of practice. A secret hope was they'd be invited on weekends to train like today. If they could then the skill they would possess would be beyond scary for their opponents.

Just then his phone rang, it was definitely Kay it just had to be. Taking his phone out of the pocket he looked at the screen. On it was your stereotypical call screen with a nice picture of Kay in the top middle. The boys all inched over to get a look at what was going on. If Michael taking out his phone didn't alert them to something then his ringtone did. It was a bit hard to not hear Cruise by Florida Georgia Line playing. Lifting the phone up to his hear Michael finally accepted the call.

"Hello?" Kay was the first to speak as the boys continued on walking despite their little yet abrupt stop.

"Hey, Kay!"

"Hey, you sent me a text not too long ago about some question. For some reason whatever that question was didn't go through so I called."

"Well I was wondering if you had Katyusha or Nonna's number…so do you?" There was a slight pause before any speaking continued, Michael guessed she was probably checking her contacts at that point.

"Yea I can send it to you right now. Just one question though…why?" Michael once again waited a few seconds before answering the question. He seemed kinda surprised that Kay didn't immediately assume the obvious, maybe she just didn't know.

"You see the news yet?"

"No, what happened?" Michael sighed before taking a deep breath. He wasn't sure how Kay would react to the news but he didn't think it'd be very well.

"You remember Natasha…right?" Another few second pauses occurred as Kay's mind went through an internal list of names before remembering the one white, long-haired girl.

"Yea she was so nice! Did something happen?"

"She was killed yesterday by a guided missile. No one knows how it happened or from who and I wanted to see if we could come over to honor her for the funeral." Kay gasped as if in pure shock at the first statement.

"Oh my God! Did anyone else get hurt? How? Why?" She went on for a good minute with just questions and loud complaining. In fact, it was so loud that Michael just moved the phone away from his ear and reeled back due to the sudden outburst in noise.

"Still waiting for further info…so can you send me one of the numbers?" Kay could be clearly heard breathing rather heavily before she came back with an answer. Michael felt bad for her as she seemed to be a rather sensitive and caring person.

"Of course, of course! I'll send it to you right now."

"Thanks…sorry to cut this short but I have to go fly. I'll let you know what she says as soon as possible. Bye!"

"Alright love you…bye!" At that point, Michael had his phone on speaker and at first, no reaction was to be had. Then only seconds later he blurted out into a frenzy of words as the other boys comprehended what they had just heard.

"Wait what the hell!" By that time, she had already hung up but it didn't cut it anymore.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Joe, Douglas, and Mitchell both looked over with mixed expressions. One thing was constant though, a series of nods lasting for a few seconds each. Joe was the first to do anything aside from that as he walked up and gave him a pat on the back.

"Alright Major new mission…get her!" Aside from Michael the other three laughed at that as Michael's expression was still somewhere in between shock and excitement. Needless to say, though he gave Joe a look of death, one so strong that he immediately shut up and took a few steps back. Glancing over at the other boys they did the same as they took hits of Michael's anger. They assumed that he was angry due to him being embarrassed and they decided not to say another word.

The next few minutes were continued in silence until reaching the hangar. Michael's mind was at work the entire time. Not just thinking of recent happenings but of how, if the same happened to him, what he would do. What could he do against a missile fired from out of sight? He didn't have any countermeasures or radar on the plane so if anything was on the way, he'd need to see it by air. Either way, he'd have to worry about it later as they took the corner towards the hangar.

Each of walked through the hangar doors in a wing formation. Wingmen were with each other with a stride that looked like something out of Top Gun. The ground crew could be seen walking around and doing final checks on the various equipment. As far as he could tell all that was needed was the pilots. That same Technical Sergeant was hard at work, giving orders to her various subordinates. They were to be using live tracer ammunition for today. For obvious reasons, the planes were fueled to the top and ready to fly at a moment's notice.

"Hey Major!" She must have noticed them come in because she made an immediate 180 and walked over to them. Her white hair and pale face really were beautiful although the boys still didn't even know her name.

"Technical Sergeant…I'm assuming everything's ready to go, right?" There was a slight pause as an exchange of salutes was given throughout the group.

"Yes, sir! Just hop in and you'll be ready to take off." He gave her a nod and the boys all went to grab their various gear. The Technical Sergeant gave a few more orders as the girls changed pace once again. Final checks were completed as the boys came back donning their helmets and masks. They all had their phones on them for the obvious reasons and out of all of them, only Joe carried a talisman.

"Joe, you got your ace of clubs?" Michael looked at his wingman who replied with a nod and a smile. While Michael didn't believe in superstition Joe did and he believed in it heavily. He didn't fly without that card, ever. It had seen countless matches, countless victories, and defeats. Joe didn't know what would happen if he were to lose it and didn't want to know, it would stay with him for life.

Taking the step ladder into his cockpit he began to strap himself in. The other boys did the same and were assisted by the various girls, once again Michael was helped by that Technical Sergeant. If there's any better time to ask her name it's now.

"So, what's your name?" That got her attention as she looked up at him with her beautiful eyes.

"Emily Tennant!" She seemed to exuberate an excessive amount of pride causing Michael to chuckle. Clearly, she was excited, though Michael wasn't entirely sure what for.

"Well, Emily I gotta thank you for all you've done for us!"

"Just doin' my job!" She snorted as the final checks were completed. A quick spin of the hand with a finger pointed in the air and the engines roared to life. The high-pitched noise coming from the air being taken into the two inlets before hitting the compressor and beginning to produce exhaust. The cockpit was closed, Michael's oxygen mask hanging to his side as the plane slowly moved. He was loaded with extra on fuel due to the long-distance flight so he would be moving a little slower than usual.

It didn't matter as he was guided by hand signals unto the catapult. It only took a minute for him to be securely attached. A girl in a yellow shirt could be seen to his side, he increased the power on his throttle to max. The water injection in the Allison J33-A-35 allowed for 24 kN of thrust which began kicking up dust from behind him. He started to slow his breaths until his heart reached somewhere around the mid-50s.

Looking up he gave a quick thumb up to confirm he was ready to go. A quick response of an open palm and he unlocked his breaks, he was now in full control of the catapult. Michael gave the girl a quick salute and then nervously waited. He mentally relaxed preparing himself for the 2.5 G's that were about to be unleashed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl lean to touch the deck and point forward. At that the plane was launched forward, accelerating to 195 mph within 3 seconds. Michael was pressed into his seat as the blood rushed away from the brain to his limbs. It only lasted a split second as he dipped below the carrier horizon. A random girl standing on the edge waving at him as he climbed.

He knew that their procedure for the day would be to initially climb to 1,000 ft and he did. It only took around 5 more minutes for the 3 other boys to get in the air.

"This is Ghost Actual, form up on me, over!" Joe was the first to respond.

"Roger that Ghost Actual, Ghost Squadron forming up on you, out." Within seconds the planes arranged themselves back into proper formation. Michael decided to test out his squadrons knowledge of hand signals as he pointed up. Showing 30,000 feet his entire squadron took the point to heart as with a nod they all began climbing before speeding up to their cruising speed of 410.

"Ghost 2 speaking. Interrogative: Any specific directions? Over."

"This is Ghost Actual to Ghost 2, we're already on route, out." Michael had cleverly positioned them to head south-west before any word was said.

"Ghost 1 here. Interrogative: Any idea on how long this is gonna be? Over!" Everyone slightly chuckled at the obvious and semi-stupid question.

"Ghost Actual to Ghost 2 we'll be up here for 2 hours so get comfortable! Out." Once again, a group-wide thought was to be had as everyone groaned. The metal seats weren't the most comfortable thing ever but it was ignored.

"Ghost Actual to Ghost Squadron, I'll be playing some music from here on out…any suggestions? Over."

"Ghost 2 speaking, play something different from usual, kinda fuckin flying bored here. Out."

"Ghost 1, this is Ghost 3, we all are dude! Over."

"Ghost Actual to Ghost Squadron, coming up on 14 angels, oxygen masks required. Out." With that, the boys all started to attach their oxygen masks. Quickly they turned on the internal supply of oxygen as they begun reaching the higher altitudes. It was still some ways away from their cruising altitude so it was imperative that they could breathe…obviously.

"Ghost 1 here, just noticed the A-4 radar sight is 'bent', the target indicator is flying around like a mother fucker! Over."

"Ghost Actual to Ghost 1, try turning it on and off. If that doesn't work then we'll have an air force tech take a look at it. Out."

"Ghost 1 here…still fucked…will wait till landing. Over."

Fuck! He probably wouldn't give off the best impression once they landed and told them one of their planes was broken. Why it was…he didn't really know. Hopefully, no one had messed with it at all, he would get all the sights checked for defects later on.

"Ghost 2 speaking. Interrogative: We'll still have time to plan for the match against Oorai tonight…right? Over."

"Ghost Actual to Ghost 2, yes we'll have plenty of time left tonight…besides, we can stay up to do so? Out."

"Ghost 3 here. Interrogative: Anyone nervous about school starting? Over."

"Ghost 3, this is Ghost 2, we're all nervous, hopefully, we'll be in the same classes…keyword hopefully. Over."

Ghost Actual here, I know for a fact we all signed up for engineering and there are only 2 periods of it so we should be in that together. How about languages? Over."

"Ghost 1 here, you all know I signed up for German 3 honors…Ghost 2 you're doing French 2, right? Over."

"Ghost 2 speaking, yep and we all know Ghost 3 is taking Spanish AP the smart mother fucker. Besides the rest of our classes are mandatory and we don't get a choice…aside from Ghost 3 we're all in Pre-Calculus. Over."

"Ghost 3 here, we all know I'm in my junior year. The rest of you are in your sophomore year anyway. Soon I'll be in college and you'll be next. So how the fuck is Joe the youngest one here? Out."

"Ghost 3 this is Ghost 1, I'm just the best outta all y'all. A quote from the famous musician known as MC Hammer describes how much better I am. 'Can't touch this!' Over."

"Ghost 1 this is Ghost Actual…over."

"Ghost Actual…go ahead. Over."

"For the love of God and all things holy...just shut up. Over."

"Ghost Actual this is Ghost 1, square up bro, you won't. Over."

"Ghost 2 speaking, we're all in jet fighters and you're outnumbered 3 to 1…you really wanna try that? Out."

The only response was silence, at least for a few seconds before everyone broke out into laughter. Joe wasn't exactly happy at everyone not taking him seriously, he knew it was all fun and games though. When worst came to worst and planes started falling out of the sky there was no one they'd trust aside from themselves.

"Ghost 1 here, fun fact for Y'all. Did you know that there are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky? Over."

"Ghost 2 speaking, why are you like this…do not answer that. Out." Once again laughter filled the comms. Much to the relief of the squadron, there was no answer to that question.

1 Hour Later

"Ghost Actual to Ghost squadron, I'm going to take you guys on a little sightseeing tour. Over."

"Ghost 2 speaking, alright then ready to divert course. Over."

"Ghost Actual here, if you look out to the left you'll see clouds and if you can see the ocean then you're in luck, you've qualified to win a free in-flight travel meal. Today's in-flight meal consists of whatever bar you brought with you if you didn't then I'm sorry…you're an idiot. Out to the right, you can find more clouds and ocean. If you happen to be in the lead planes you can actually see another plane," The excitement behind his voice was what made it special and everyone took notice of that immediately, "that plane is being piloted by a new breed of warrior. The idiot…he does not understand what he says half of the time, only watched one or two movies continuously, and…he listens to Kenny Loggings whenever possible. Don't be like him…please. Out."

"Ghost 1 here, I feel so informed about my surroundings now. Thanks for that eye-opening information! I'll now go forward with this and speak unto the masses, who knows maybe I'll even become president! Out."

"Ghost Actual here, don't forget to stop in on the gift shop on your way out! Thanks for flying Air Ghost and have a safe trip!"

* * *

 **AN...**

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter but I made it sure it was of a higher quality than the previous. Expect the next chapters soon and thanks for the wait.**

 **Thanks too...**

 **WW2 Killer**

 **Blackcat9798**

 **Blizard808**

 **Chosenshark YT**

 **Commanderstarscream123**

 **ComradeRed414**

 **FreeWar**

 **Heavycreeper**

 **J.S.F. Northern Command**

 **James Widjaya**

 **LTBECK**

 **Robloxian 2456**

 **SeekerMeeker**

 **Tacav**

 **WarHusky 2000**

 **and**

 **WW2Killer for the follows.**


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